Charlie's Big Boy Car Seat!

Wow! I'm facing the front!

I'm squealing with delight! I'm so excited!

Daddy gave me a toy to play with!

These are my peeps!


Charlie received a big boy car seat for his birthday. We were so excited to have him facing front! He was so excited to be in his new seat too! He even has his own cup holder! His 1st ride in it was to the airport to tell the fam bye :...(

Charlie Sleeping!

As evidenced by Charlie's exhaustion, we had a jammed packed fun time with the fam!

A Sunset Picnic!

We decided to go to the ranch and have a sunset picnic. Mom and Seth rode 4wheelers. Aunt Melissa, Charlie and I took the mule! It was so much fun. We packed a light supper and went down to the canyon. We had to show off the camp site-complete with couches and a recliner-out in nature. Then we found a spot on top of the canyon to view the sunset. Wasn't it pretty? We heard a pack of coyotes howling as the sun was going down. I was anxious to return home.

Charlie's 1st shoes!

I've got new shoes!

I'm not sure about these things!

I like walking without them!

They slip between my other toes!

Grandma kept trying to fix them!

This story of these shoes was too cute. We were shopping in Target and Mom found these shoes. She was curious to see how Charlie would react to having them on. He was in the cart in the seat with a cover we have. He could barely see his feet between the leg holes. He wasn't sure what to think about them. He just looooked at them and then tried to sling them off! No matter his efforts, the shoes remained! The next morning, Mom took him on the patio to try walking in them. When she 1st put them on, he stood on his own for about 15 seconds before sitting down. Then, while outside, he tolerated them, but mostly wanted them off. They kept slipping between other toes too. As soon as we went inside, he figured out how to get them OFF!

Playing with Water!

Bubbles with Grandma!

During the parade, Mom decided to have a little fun with Charlie. She discovered that he was highly interested in her bubble blowing! With all the excitement going on around him, he would focus in on her bubbles and her bubbles only! It was so cute!

Round Up!

I have my days mixed up because the fam was here Monday. So, I worked today. I am glad to be back in the blogging world!

1. I am thankful for all the friends I have made via blogging. I love hearing about others and sharing in their struggles and triumphs with them. I also love looking at everyone's pics! I think it so neat that we can have friendships without ever really meeting.

2. I am thankful that tomorrow is Friday and I will be home with my baby! I love spending all day with him. We have so much fun together.

3. I am thankful that tomorrow my house will be back in order. Charlie received so many presents-praise God-and tomorrow I will have them all put away! I will also have a clean house and I love that! I am a routine person and I do not do well with disorder. Everything has a place and it should be there!

4. I am thankful for the recent rain we have been receiving. My plants just love it! It's amazing at the difference rain water makes (nitrogen).

5. I am thankful for the Conservative uprising that is taking place. Americans are speaking out against corruption and double standards and I love it. I pray for our nation and fear for what lies ahead for her, but I am also thankful for the bringing together of the right people to take a stand against evil.

What are you thankful for today?

Happy 12 months Charlie!

Wow, time has flown by! We have had so much fun being Charlie's parents. Charlie is growing into such a big, handsome boy. He is just so precious. He is so mobile now and is constantly on the go. He loves to pull up on anything he can. I love when he pulls up on my pants and looks up at me, reaching for me to hold him. How can I say no to that? He has stood a few times on his own, but when he realizes it, he sits himself down. He has worn his first pair of shoes-not a fan. He continues to crawl around everywhere. He is so speedy with this. We love to hear the pitter patter of him coming. He loves to run with Mommy or Daddy holding his hands and running behind him. He LOVES to climb. He tries to climb on everything that supports him. He has explored a lot of new foods. We discovered that he does not like rice! He's so funny: if he does not like a food, he just stretches his tongue out until the food falls off. He also does this when he's had enough food. He really doesn't like baby food any more. He loves to eat what Mommy and Daddy are eating. He continues to receive bottle feedings. These are my favorite times and I am not ready to give them up. He's not a fan of his high chair, but likes it there once he is distracted and has food to eat. He is getting good a feeding himself. He is also very good at throwing food. His friendship with da boys grows. The other day I sat Charlie on the ground while I was watering and I saw Elvis come up to him. He laid over on his stomach and Charlie leaned over and pet him. Then he tried to taste him and I had to separate them. I am pleasantly surprised at how gentle Elvis is with him. Charlie continues to take two naps during the day. Getting him to sleep is a challenge. Once he figures out that he is going to sleep, he fights it pretty hard. He loves to explore new things and has had a great opportunity to do that with all the new toys he has gotten. He loves to scatter number and letter magnets off of the refrigerator. He loves to swim and is so aggressive with it. He has 6 teeth. Four on the top and two on the bottom. He says "Da Da," "Ma Ma," "Ga Ga," "Ba Ba," "Na Na," He is making some "T" noises. He can blow and make a host of other sounds. His new love is head butting. Not looking forward to this one! He is a cuddler, a snuggler and a BIG laugher! He has for sure stolen our hearts. My little sweet thing is growing up. He is no longer a baby, but a pre toddler. In no time, he will be walking around and then chasing us. I know such much more fun lies ahead of us. Thank you Lord for allowing us to have our son. We have treasured watching him transform and pray that we will continue to have this blessing. WE LOVE OUR CHARLIE!

The afternoon of...

Heading out for a stroll!

Playing with Daddy some more! Love the reflection of my stained glass piece. Thanks again Mary!

Special pics with Mommy!

Swimming!

Eating chicken salad with Mommy.

Playing with my new toy!

Happy birthday to me! P.S. I hate this hat!

Oooh, fire! Daddy had to hold my hand down!

My balloons are still here!

My new basket!

I love bubbles!

I was SO happy to pick Charlie up from the nanny's today. Today was the 1st time he has thrown his arms around my neck and really hugged me! He squeezed me so tight! When we got home, we played together on our bed (one of his favorite places to play)! He crawls around, rolls around, buries his face in the pillows and squeals! It's so fun. After that, we went for a stroll. We ran into Daddy on the way home and met back at the house. It was so nice to have him there when we arrived home. We put our swimsuits on and headed to the pool for a swim! We tried to do all of Charlie's favorite things today. After our swim, Charlie ate chicken salad with Mommy and helped Daddy with some of his beans. Then, we celebrated his birthday with cake and ice cream again! Today, he received his presents from Mommy and Daddy. He got a new toy for his high chair, with a ball that lights up, a basket for his toys in the bathtub and a bubble blower for bath time too! As I was cleaning the kitchen and saying goodbye to my son's 1st birthday, I was accompanied by the sounds of squeals and laughter as the bubble blower filled the bathroom with bubbles. I fed him his night time bottle in my arms and he drifted off to sleep while looking into my eyes. What a great way to say goodbye!