May and June 2012- fun and busy!

We've had a crazy busy summer- every day seems full to the brim. And I can't believe that it's half over  already. This is my huge lumped-together update for May and June. I'm sure I'm leaving lots of things out. Oh, well. 

Lily had a birthday and turned 6! We had dinner at a restaurant downtown. It was a Wednesday, so John had to leave early for his weekly commitment with the Young Men's organization of our church. John took our car (still a one car family) so I was figuring out rides home with my family members, shuffling car seats, squeezing us all in, etc. when Steve and Kerry gave me the best gift! They took Charlie with them on some errands so I could go home and put George down and then relax for a little while alone. I have a great family.

The birthday girl- I love the look of joy on her face

Charlie made sure we held hands to sing "Happy Birthday"- that's a tradition in John's family and Charlie didn't want my side to miss out, I guess!

Our good friends, Madelyn and Cody, visited from Texas and we got to meet their little girl Greta for the first time. What a little sweetie. It's so fun to see my friends become parents, and these two are great ones.

Greta (4 months) and George (8 months)

Cody and George just hanging out

Kennedy and George in the cage playpen

Madelyn, Greta, Suzanna, Kennedy, Barb, and George

On Mother's Day, I had to get a comparison shot of Jude (Kate and Jeff's baby) and George. It's a huge difference now, but soon these cousins will be running around and playing together. They'll even be in the same school year.

Jude (3 months) and George (8 months)

We borrowed this little digger (called a skid steer) from our friends, Scott and Courtney, to fill in our old trampoline hole with dirt from our backyard neighbors' yard renovation. While we had it, John leveled out some problem areas in the back third of our yard. Charlie loved climbing on "his" big digger and one day I went out and he had placed his little toy digger next to it. Now that we've returned the skid steer, he still sometimes wistfully asks about "his big digger."

The diggers

After a looooong month of sleep training, George's naps still weren't going well. This particular day, my mom came over to help me and as I was putting Charlie down for a nap, she took a very tired George outside to distract him. I came out to find him like this- conked out in the swing. 

Tired baby

This jogging stroller is one of my best internet finds- I was able to get it brand new on super duper clearance for $11 (shipping included!) We have used it to death- it's the only way some of our outings are possible.

Nice shades, boys

We've spent a lot of time with Sam and Lily since they've been out of school for the summer and one of Lily's favorite activities to do with George is give him pretend haircuts and fancy hair styles. He will actually sit still for her as she does it! And now whenever he sees my hairbrush, he attempts to brush his hair.

Stay tuned for more catch up posts!

Mother's and Father's days

John and I decided that we'd buy each other a new barbecue for each other for Mother's and Father's days. Halfway between the holidays we found one we liked and we've gotten so much use out of it already. Now onto the family celebrations!

We enjoyed a lovely outdoor dinner at Grandma and Grandpa T's newly remodeled backyard for Mother's Day. My boys gave me the lovely gift of sitting still and eating during dinner. :)

On Father's Day we celebrated with my family. By then, Catherine and Richard and their kids had arrived for the summer (hip, hip, hooray!) so we gathered for a big family dinner at my parents' house to recognize the dads (but especially Grandpa). The holiday happened to fall on Elizabeth's 2nd birthday, so we celebrated that, too. My parents' home is being remodeled so we crammed around the big kitchen table in the small mother-in-law apartment. It was a tight squeeze (especially with three babies in high chairs) but we made it work.

Love having these special guys in my life. 

Charlie the 3-year-old

Charlie turned three in March and I've been writing this post since then, just adding the little things I want to remember about him at this age. 

Charlie is still our big guy- at his three year appointment in March, he weighed 39.7 lbs (95%) and was 40 inches tall (95%). I think he's had another growth spurt since then, growing out of most of his 3T pants and shirts. 

He's starting to become more interested in and observant of the world around him. When he hears something unfamiliar, he'll ask me, "What's that? Hear that mom?" then he imitates the noise. Then when I tell him what he's hearing, he likes to repeat the word I tell him.

He's really into playing make believe games and re-enacting the plots of TV shows, movies or books. He has a sharp memory for the plot lines and dialogue, and is so creative when it comes to finding something around the house to serve as a prop. The other night he was a night with a sword and a shield (a pot and its lid). He loves it when we play along and will call me "Mama Robot", "Mama Astro Boy" or "Mama T-Rex." The other day, he called me "Captain" all day (short for Captain Hook). 


Lately, he's been wanting to share his food with George which is darling but also a little dangerous. I can't wait for George to get a few more teeth so this gesture can continue more safely.

Charlie's worn those boots out! And he loves his tools. 

Nutella goatee and a darling smile

fell asleep in the car, cracker in mouth!

blowing dandelions in Grandma and Grandpa T's backyard

pirate Charlie- map in hand, eye patch ready

loving playing in the water- this particular day, with one sock on,  he made me laugh because I wanted to call him "LL Cool Che"

We borrowed this digger from some friends to work on landscaping our backyard (well, trying to) and Charlie calls it his "big digger". 

Love those curls and lashes

When I ask him to do something (or not do something) he'll often say, "Alright." It so SO darling and gets me every time. I'm still surprised that he's turned the corner about actually obeying me/listening to reason some of the time. It's so wonderful!

He will share food with me and narrate the whole encounter. "Big bite, mom." "Yummy, mom?"

Just recently has taken to given HUGE, cheek to cheek, fierce hugs and saying, "I love ya." I'm dying of the cuteness. We call them "big squeeze hugs."

He loves to ask what things are called. He chimes into our conversations more and more, often picking out unfamiliar words to repeat. (One of my most recent favorites was "margarine".)

He wants to know the name of the songs playing while we're in the car and will then ask for them later by name. Some of his favorites recently are Jump by the Pointer Sisters, I Hung My Head by Sting, Life is a Highway by Rascal Flatts (it's on the Cars soundtrack, so he calls it the Lightning McQueen song). He also likes Disney, Kindermusik, and Primary songs.

Recent loves: playing knights, pretending to be Astro Boy while wearing his red rain boots, making up songs, blanket rides, and playing I Spy while driving in the car.

He's started asking "Where goin', Mom?" when we get in the car. Usually he's fine with where I tell him (it's often to drop off or pick up Daddy from work) but sometimes he'll suggest an alternative. Often he asks to go to Gymboree, to our little neighbor James's house, or Grandma or Grandpa's house(s). He's started calling Grandma and Grandpa T's house, "Grandma white house" because it's a light gray color and my parents' reddish-brick home is "Grandpa orange house." (He has to differentiate between his grandparents somehow- they live in the same neighborhood and both go by "Grandma and Grandpa". )

Hanging out at "Grandpa orange house"

He still needs a nap most days but is only about 50% on actually taking them. He still sleeps in his crib, although he recently climbed out of it for the first time. He fell out and I think it scared him enough that he hasn't tried it again since.

He loves to watch previews on our Apple TV. He doesn't realize that they aren't full shows.

He got into a dirt pile at Grandma T's house during Mother's Day dinner the other night and had to take a quick bath. Aunt Kate saw him without his clothes on and remarked how little boyish and not babylike he looked. It's true, he has long arms and legs and the baby fat is melting away.

Getting a new perspective

One day he pulled the waffle iron out of the cupboard (it was completely cool) and said, "Mom, look at my computer!" It does look like a laptop and he even knew where to "type".

He likes to wear my boots. Depending on the day, they're either his pirate or cowboy boots.

He was totally into posing for me this day!