Such A "More-Nice" Thanksgiving

What a wonderful Thanksgiving, or as Charlie would say, "more-nice."  As his vocabulary increases, Charlie is coining new phrases every day.  The latest "Charlie-ism" is "more nice," which he used to refer to how much fun he had at the park and to Mom's neighbor, Ms. Jean. 

In fact, our entire weekend was "more nice" from start to finish.  The actual travel was uneventful (yeah!) and the time in El Paso with "Gamma," "Gampaw," "An-Angh" and "Bih" was jam-packed with "more-nice" events:

Hide and seek with Gampaw

Practicing for a career as a fireman

Jumping around with Gamma

Tunnels!

Playing with An-Angh

Mo-tatos!

Coloring with An-Angh

Snowman Cookies

Even Gampaw got into the act!

Mmmm...tasty!

Setting up the Nativity 

Enjoying the Classics with An-Angh

Mastering Hide and Seek

Trash!

The root of all evil...

It all started with a bad haircut -- Charlie's, not mine.  We took him in to get trimmed up before Nanie's birthday party and while they did a pretty good job on the front, the back looked terrible.  We dealt with it for a while, but as it grew out a bit it looked like a serious mullet, so Charlie and I headed to a new "salon" yesterday after school -- conveniently located next to Publix and for which I had a $3 off coupon!

Unfamiliar with Famous Hair, I wasn't sure if they would provide a sucker -- the most crucial part of any haircut where Charlie is involved.  Ever since Halloween, sugar has miraculous powers over Charlie -- it's almost like some cultish religion.  On the positive end, it can get him to sit still through a haircut...on the negative end, it can turn him into a demanding, inconsolable brat, but I digress...

To be on the safe side, we stopped in Publix before the salon to buy a sucker -- an easy task, or so I thought.  Apparently grocery stores no longer sell normal, little suckers.  The closest thing I could find was this push pop thing designed to last so long that it requires a lid for storage.  Nonetheless, it was our only hope.

Despite the lengthy wait, Charlie did great at the hairdresser, chiefly because I continually reminded him that only good boys got suckers -- I have no idea what I would have done had he been out of control, because the sucker is the only thing that got him to sit still in the chair.  The only rough moment occurred when the stylist took the sucker to rinse all the hair off of it...luckily she was quick.

Retaining some common sense despite the fact that I have a 20 month old son, I took away the push pop before the ride home -- such a delightful 7 minutes of hearing "canny" screamed at the top of Charlie's lungs.  The kid knows how to play me, though.  As we pulled into the driveway, I told him that he couldn't have his sucker back unless he stopped crying -- I might as well have flipped a switch.

Over the next two hours that horrible stick of sugar stuck to everything...Charlie, me, Otis, grass, the wet wipe when I tried to clean off the gravel from a drop on the driveway.  It was absolutely disgusting.  Finally, as dinner time approached and a dirty diaper called, I took it away -- there was absolutely no way that thing was entering my house in Charlie's hands.  Enter breakdown number two.  Fortunately, the mandatory bath to unstick Charlie from himself also calmed him down.

I managed to hide the nasty little stick for the rest of the evening, but distracted with preparations for our Thanksgiving trip, I forgot to throw it away...imagine my shock and dismay when Charlie started screaming "canny" and pointing at the counter this morning while I made coffee.  I held firm, though -- we didn't have time for another bath, plus it was too cold to relegate him to the porch until school.

Therefore, based on the past 12 hours, I have decided that exempting anything containing chocolate, peanut butter or coconut, candy is the root off all evil...well if not evil, then at least brattiness.  Maybe boycotting Halloween wouldn't have been such a bad idea after all...

Counting our Blessings (2010 edition)

Blessings abound in our home this year.  We had or first Thanksgiving celebration Thursday night with our neighbor family, stretching around the pond-- and I learned how to do Thanksgiving the right way.  Delegate all of the difficult dishes (inlcuding the turkey) to other people, so all you have to do is set the table, bake the pie and boil the potatoes -- if you're really good, a neighbor will even volunteer to mash them right before dinner!  Talk about a relaxed and fun evening -- plus a great opportunity to get to know some of our "newer" neighbors.

We did have a bit of a hitch in our weekend plans when Charlie woke up Saturday morning with a blazing fever -- I should have know something was up when he slept past 8:00.  So, rather than hang the outdoor Christmas lights and drive down to James Island to tour their Christmas Light extravaganza, Jason and I alternated snuggling with Charlie to Finding Nemo and Toy Story 3 with putting up the interior Christmas decorations.  While it wasn't our most productive Saturday ever, is it absolutely terrible that we really enjoyed the opportunity to cuddle with our little man?

Ever the trouper, Charlie's fever broke at 2:00 AM -- completely unbeknownst to me!  Rockstar Daddy spent the night rotating from the sofa to the chair to floor, keeping Charlie comfortable and affirming that yes, the great big lighted object by the door was a tree...while I slept soundly in bed into the wee ours...oops!

Having finally realized that Otis and I were alone in bed around 5:30, I stumbled downstairs to find an exhausted Jason and a perfectly well and ready-to-play Charlie.  So Jason stumbled up to bed while Charlie and I played, colored, read and made stuffing for Thanksgiving dinner number two!

After church we spent the afternoon getting a headstart on our Christmas shopping, then all bundled into the car to head off to Thanksgiving dinner with our church family -- and in addition to being wonderful people, the folks at Grace can cook and bake like nobody's business...I think Jason and I are both going to regret buying new jeans yesterday...

The best part is that the Thanksgiving fun has barely even begun.  In just two days we'll take off for El Paso to spend Thanksgiving number more-two* with Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Angie and Uncle Bill -- more turkey, more pie, more hugs and more fun! 

*more-two -- noun -  a cardinal number, 2 plus 1; adjective - amounting to three in number
Etmology:
     Mommy: "Look, Charlie, a bus!"
     Charlie, upon seeing a second bus directly behind it: "Two!"
     Mommy: "Good job, Baby!"
     Charlie, upon seeing a third bus directly behind the first and second: "More-two!"
     Mommy: "Charlie Bear, you are a genius!"

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bob & Donna

Friends & Neighbors

Our Little Travelin' Man

Charlie is awesome...that could actually be my entire post regarding our whirlwind weekend trip to Kansas City. Charlie is awesome!

Despite some last minute flight changes and virtually no layover going or coming home, Charlie was a pro on all four flights. He played with his new games, enjoyed his snacks, flirted with flight attendants, earned his first set of wings and even napped a little. Jason and I were so proud of him...and by the time he goes to college we might actually stop fearing airplane trips!

Now, if the travel to and fro was great, our 44 hours in Kansas City were outstanding...short, but outstanding! After warmly greeting BaBa in the airport and riding the suitcase to the car, Charlie quickly crashed, giving Jason, Debbie and me a chance to catch up all the way back to Lee's Summit. Then he slept until 6:39 Central Time on Saturday morning...I tell you, Charlie is awesome!

Our adventures truly began Saturday morning when we met Great Uncle Jim, Great Aunt Jan and Great Uncle Sam for breakfast (after a Zinger appetizer at home with PaPa). Charlie showed off his massive appetite and giggled and chattered away with all of us, when he wasn't charming ladies at nearby tables.

From breakfast we went straight to the Kansas City Zoo to meet Nikita, the polar bear...whose hair is clear, by the way, not white! Who knew?

With BaBa, PaPa, Uncle Travis, Aunt Natalie, Cousin Ellie, Uncle Stephen, Aunt Ashley and Cousin Landon, we braved the frigid temperatures (low 40s...but remarkably comfortable in the sun) to visit the red faced kangaroo (it was National Red Faced Kangaroo, after all), the monkeys, the sheep, the tiger and various other animals.

As Jason can attest, I'm not much of a nature lover, but I had an absolute ball at the zoo. Why? Because Charlie is awesome!

Charlie crashed hard in the car on the way from the zoo to Crown Center -- we were actually afraid he might sleep through lunch at Fritz's, but being Charlie he woke up just in time to see the train lower his hamburger to the table and to swipe a few of Uncle Travis' fries.

After exploring the Crayola store and greeting all of the Crown Center shoppers who happened walk to through the main entrance (from the 2nd floor balcony), Charlie got to tour the new 2900 building (aka Midwest Shredding South) and drive his first tractor with a little help from PaPa. If he hadn't had so much fun from the moment he woke up, I would swear this was the best moment of Charlie's life so far...but I think I might just have to chalk it up to the best all-around day...topped off by Jack's Stack, poker, cookies and cousins back at BaBa and PaPa's house.

All of that, and Sunday was actually the focus of our trip back! Following a relaxed morning of waffles and games around the house, we all headed to Loose Mansion to celebrate Nanie's seventy-fifth birthday. In addition to roaming the halls and posing for pictures, Charlie had his first rootbeer, care of Uncle Chris, and his first cream puff -- well, cream at least. He was more than willing to "share" the puff part with Great Aunt Lina.

As the party drew to an end, PaPa whisked us all back up to KCI just in time to catch our flight, and Charlie played his heart out until we broke the cloud cover over Atlanta. Then leaning against the window see all the lights, his "whoas" abruptly switched to "zzzzz's", and Charlie slept all the way back to Charleston -- waking up just in time to announce that we were climbing into Daddy's truck.

Jason and I are both a bit shell-shocked by the excitement, adventure and fun of the past two days, but Charlie is entirely unphased...yep, you got it...Charlie is awesome!

Welcome to Kansas City!

A Zinger a day... 

Breakfast of Champions

Hello!

Cousins!

Chugga, chugga...

Choo-Choo!

Riding off into the sunset, PaPa style

Elizabeth, could you please pass the crumpets?

I'll hold

Waffle Lessons

First Rootbeer

Happy Birthday, Nanie!

...zzzzz

Doomed...

This can't be good.  We are flying to Kansas City this evening, and I'm not nervous about the flights.  Having flown all over the country for previous jobs, it's not the actual flying that scares me...it's the one year old. 

Prior to all of our other trips over the past two years, I have been almost frantic in my preparations and overwhelmed with a practical dread of the upcoming flights -- and other than a diaper explosion at 10 weeks and a short-lived crying fit  at 11 months, we've had no problems.

This time I've picked up a few new books/toys and packed some snacks, but I have no overwhelming sense of terror regarding the flights, and while I am not a superstitious person, I'm wondering if this is a bad sign...  Could I be over-confident and setting us (and our fellow passengers) up for a miserable evening?
Maybe I should pack some extra snacks...

(Alas, no pictures...I have unwillingly acquiesced to pint-sized demands and kept the camera at bay this week...all bets are off this weekend, though.  We have grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, polar bears, trains and parties ahead of us!)

Paparazzi

"No, mama" is a phrase I hear frequently these days, usually when it's time to get out of the bathtub, come in from outside or stop some other fun activity, but yesterday I heard it repeatedly when I tried to take Charlie's picture! 

We were relaxing at the picnic table enjoying Charlie's first ever ring-pop (huge fan, by the way), and as any mom would, I wanted to commemorate the momentous event with pictures...and after I took a handful of shots, Charlie looked me straight in the eye and said "No, mama."  Stunned, but wanting to respect his wishes (on this anyway), I put the camera in my pocket and he licked on.  A minute or two later, I stuck my hand in my pocket to grab the camera, and he looked up and repeated, "no, mama." 

While I hate to admit that I'm stubborn, I will confess that I'm very persistent, so I tried a few more times and met the same response...  Charlie has developed the same disdain for photographers as a reclusive star...and it's all my fault!

I am hoping that his aversion to pictures yesterday was just a quirk brought about by a super-fun and busy weekend, the time change and an extremely full belly.  Looking back, our weekend pretty much revolved around food.

Friday night we drove up to Ridgeville with Chad and Corrisa for Duke's BBQ.  Then on Saturday the Altman Family came over for Chili, Hotdogs and S'mores, and with Ryleigh's help, Charlie got to hang with the big kids all evening.  He had an absolutely fabulous time.

After church on Sunday, the three of us went to Summerville's annual Taste of the Town and shared "tastes" of Shrimp n Grits, Steak Sandwich, Pepperoni Pizza, "Uptown" Banana Pudding and Blueberry Bread Pudding, along with some knee-slapping good music (literally).  Summerville definitely knows how to throw a festival.

So, right now I'm convincing myself that Charlie was just going through a period of "exhaustion", as all the big stars do at some point...and that I will get to document his next 20 years with the same perseverance as I've done the first 20 months.

Jump Castle Junky

Finally a binky Charlie loves!

Mmmmm...

Awkward

I'm sure that Jason and I aren't the first parents to realize that using the restroom in peace and solitude is a thing of the past and if we're lucky of the very distant future, but surprisingly enough we've both grown accustomed to the company -- even if it includes a toy train and a Woody doll.

What's not so easy to get used to is the questions...Charlie is a very curious boy and absolutely fascinated with bodily functions -- to the point that he yells out "poop!" anytime he hears a questionable noise, no matter where we happen to be, and is convinced that that happens every time anyone uses the restroom.

That said, this morning his shouts of "puh-puh" didn't phase me, until he refused to believe my denials, and I realized he was pointing at my hip...well, the "purple" pansy on my hip to be more precise...

How exactly does one explain a tattoo to one's child -- especially if it has zero emotional or spiritual significance?   In fact, it doesn't even have a very good story.

When I was twenty-one a girlfriend convinced me to go with her to get a tattoo one Sunday after church (not kidding) since the tattoo parlor was just down the street from my apartment.  Feeling oh-so daring, I let her talk me into getting one, too, but lacking any great inspiration, I just picked a flower off the wall and changed the color to purple since I'm not really a pink person.

For a while I semi-convinced myself that like the pansy, I was extremely strong and hardy despite being seen as weak and young, blah-blah-blah...but that was definitely an afterthought.

I don't suppose I particularly regret the tattoo (especially since pregnancy and childbirth didn't turn it into a mini-Monet across my abdomen), but I don't think I'd do it again.  Thankfully it remains hidden, since I'm not exactly a crop-top kind of girl.  The crazy thing only sees the light of day in the shower and only serves to remind me that my one great rebellion in life was completely meaningless -- I imagine a lot of people can say the exact same thing, though.

I almost wish I'd gone the belly-button piercing route like so many of my girlfriends since you can just yank those out, but at the time that seemed pointless, since I don't where clothes that show my belly (and yes, I do see the fault in that logic).

Back to this morning, I basically just changed the subject, washed my hands and hustled Charlie out of the powder room, but it made me realize that Jason and I are going to have a lot of explaining to do over the next few years -- some innocuous and some a bit more complicated.  Thankfully, we're pretty boring.

Awesome!

Amidst all the other fun this weekend, we also erected the coolest swingset ever in our backyard!

Jason and I had been toying with the idea of getting Charlie a swingset for a few months, but weren't sure if we had the space, etc.  When BaBa came to visit, our very persuasive little boy showed his BaBa just how much he loved to swing and slide and climb, and together she and Charlie convinced Mommy and Daddy that it was time.

Ever the planners, Jason and I did a lot of online shopping and narrowed our choices down to the Highlander from Sam's Club and another swingset from Lowe's, both of which met our core requirements;

1 - Smallest possible footprint possible to fit in our postage-stamp size backyard
2 - Swings
3 - Slide

I was leaning towards the Sam's Club option, because it had more bells and whistles for the price, a wood roof, rather than canvas, and we'd actually seen it in the store back in the Spring when I had tried to convince Jason to buy it (subtly of course, since Charlie was barely walking).

Last weekend we took a trip to Lowe's to check out their samples and were unimpressed with the quality, so we decided the Highlander was our swingset of choice.  Having been to Sam's recently, Jason knew that it was no longer on display, but we drove over for some groceries anyway.  Ever optimistic, we asked a staffer if they had any of the swingsets in the back, but were told that they had all been sent back to the distribution center.

Forty-five minutes and $200 later we were headed to the checkout when Jason suggested that we get a mammoth tub of animal crackers for Charlie.  Hoping to shorten the time in line, I ran off to find the animal crackers while Jason and Charlie headed to the front. 

After much wandering (who would have thought animal crackers would ever be in the bakery?!?!), I found the animal crackers and noticed a slide sitting atop 4 large boxes on a cart in the corner.  I walked over and saw that it was the Highlander.  Assuming that someone else had ordered it for in-store pick-up, I rushed to the front to trade places with Jason, so he could check out the quality. 

Jason quickly returned, looked at me like I was crazy and wondered aloud how I had missed the price tag attached to the slide or the one attached to the cart itself (what can I say -- I was still flustered by the animal crackers hunt!).  Then he told me that it was priced $200 less than online since there was no shipping required. 

We immediately tracked down a manager and all paraded through the store to the back corner.  Dave, the manager, confirmed that the Highlander was in fact for sale and he even took off another $90 just for the heck of it!  Jason, Charlie and I were on cloud nine!

Fast forward  six days to 8:30 AM Saturday morning and construction commenced.  Despite the dire predictions on the website (14 to 43 hours!), Jason, Bob, Garrett and Chad finished the swingset in 12 working hours, even with Charlie's help throughout the process (thank goodness for Donna and Amanda!).

We truly couldn't be more thrilled with the new swingset, but throughout the weekend I realized that our original three requirements weren't the half of it.  For the perfect swingset you actually need 19 things:

1 - The smallest possible footprint
2 - Swings
3 - A slide
4 - A picnic table
5 - Steps instead of ladders
6 - Beautiful weather
7 - A glider
8 - A telescope
9 - A steering wheel
10 - 308 pieces of wood (in 80 shapes and sizes) -- minus the three O3s without a home
11 - 1,884 pieces of hardware (in 34 shapes and sizes) -- minus the random few pieces left on the table
12 - 3 drills (with extra batteries)
13 - beer
14 - steak soup
15 - 4 dogs
16 - 12 free hours
17 - an incredibly GENEROUS and LOVING BaBa and PaPa
18 - the five BEST neighbors ever
19 - the MOST INCREDIBLE husband/daddy in the world

and let's not forget number 20, a fabulous and adorable one-year-old running around and getting in the way to remind everyone what it's all about (even when the very last step takes 10 times longer than expected because the silly spikes keep hitting rocks!).

This morning when I arrived home after dropping Charlie at school and admired the swingset towering over our backyard, I felt like the most blessed woman in the world.   For a long time I thought that Jason and I would miss out on the opportunity to have a swingset, but after less than 48 hours, I can't picture our backyard without it, and after almost 20 months, I can't picture our lives without Charlie.  God is so good!

Breaking down the boxes -- the fun way!

Here, Dad, let me get my screw driver

Working on the third floor

Showing Garrett how to use the ladder

Shooting the Rapids with Amanda

Need any help, Mr Bob?

First meal at the picnic table

Wake up, wake up -- look what's outside!

Daddy and Chad attaching the slide...almost done!

Mastering the climb

Fall Fun

Weekends are my favorite time!  I know that's not exactly a unique or earth-sharttering assertion, but it's definitely top of mind.  Both Jason and I had a hard time saying goodbye to Charlie this morning after an absolutely fantastic fall weekend.

We kicked off the fun with a trip to the West Farm corn maze on Friday evening with Bob and Donna.  Almost as exciting as the attraction, itself, is the fact that there is something fun to do waaaay up at the Jedburg Exit!

Jason worked from home Friday afternoon, so we were able to head over right around 5:30.  For $5 per adult, we spent over 3 hours playing, exploring, petting and laughing.  It could have turned bad early, though.  We made the mistake of letting Charlie play in the corn box first thing, and he didn't want to get out.  The only thing that quieted his screaming (yes, screaming), was the opportunity to run "free" in the hay bale maze.  He navigated it with only two wrong turns...I'm thinking he has his mom's sense of direction!

Next up, after the apple sling-shot, Charlie got to stick his hand in a goat's mouth...aka feed it.  (I truly cannot imagine going to a petting zoo prior to the invention of hand sanitizer, and I consider myself fairly middle of the road when it comes to germ fears).  Following the alternating adoration and fear of the goats, sheep, cow and chickens, we set off into the corn maze around 6:15 or 6:30.

Two hours, many, many, many wrong turns, string cheese, sunset and a short nap later, we exited the corn maze -- having punched our map at every single checkpoint, for which we earned a sticker, and some free food at Chili's -- not to mention the honor of being able to say we survived!  In addition, the stellar F.S.I investigators that we are, we deduced that it was the pig, in the tree house, with the corn launcher!

The fun continued Saturday afternoon with the Toy Box daycare Fall Festival.  Charlie got his first tattoo (a great big, hairy spider), went on a hayride with Raggedy Ann (aka Miss Jo-Jo), and ate a whole hotdog -- all during naptime, so Jason and I were quite impressed.

With everything else going on, Jason and I almost forgot about trick-or-treating Sunday night -- thank goodness Charlie had Chad to remind us.  Our little "Charlie Brown" picked up the routine by the second house, and was a trick-or-treating allstar.  We only hit houses of people we knew, realizing that most of the candy would end up around Jason's and my waistlines, not Charlie's, but that was plenty. 

By the end of Scrapbook Lane, Charlie was walking back to the wagon after giving a very quiet, "man-man" (thank you), and climbing back in all by himself, urging mom and dad to "Go", while we chatted with neighbors.  And by the end of Pavillion he was bidding farewell to each house with a "Happ-een" (Happy Halloween). 

One pack of Smartees later and Charlie was circling the kitchen/dining/living room loop at 90 miles per hour, then bouncing off the front door...so much for the whole idea of a "sugar-high" being a myth.  I can honestly say that this was my favorite Halloween ever!

And for Charlie's part, he learned two very important lessons this weekend:  one, do not get lost in the dark with Bob, Donna, Mom and Dad...we are useless when the sun goes down; two, Halloween really is all about the candy.

Hayride

Happy Halloween!

Charlie Brown

Check it out, there's candy in here!

Sugar High!