SCORE!!!

Well he did it!! My son scored his very first not one but TWO goals!! Unfortunely I was so excited I didnt' take any still pics of it. Thank goodness for the camcorder!! He is really enjoying it now. It's a shame that the Fall season will be over in a couple of weeks.

Since his little "not listening" stages at the beginning of the school and soccer year, he is a totally different kid. He listens all the time now and is the happiest kid alive. Of course he has his little lapse here and there but he's THREE!! Not much longer until I have to stop saying that. I can't believe he'll be four 2 weeks from today. Life is much better when all of us are in good moods!

Trikes Blues & BBQ 2008

Charlie's school had their first annual "Trikes, Blues & BBQ" rally. It was a scream!! All the kids got to bring their trikes on Friday. They all met at the courtyard to have their hotdog snacks and get their pictures taken with the Harley's that were brought up from a couple of biker dads. Afterwards they all got on their trikes and rallied in the parking lot. That was a site to see and luckily with all those kids riding around no one got hurt. There were a few near misses and some minor collisions, but that is to be expected at any kind of rally. They had a blast!!

Charlie's First Real Train Ride

Courtesy of NWABikers.com:

"Keeping with the general lazy schedule of most of the few trains still crawling their way through the middle of the U.S., the Blues Train was at least 30 minutes late.
And finding the boarding platform clearly took some insider knowledge: Walk down Powerhouse Street past the construction site of the new Underwood apartment building, and find the small concrete pad behind the Powerhouse Grill and Bar. Or, get to the train like Michelle Pivonka, of Chicago, did. She hiked up the rocky tracks.
“People just didn’t quite know which way to go, it was pretty confusing,” she said, finally settled on one of the original plush velvet bench seats in the 1927 car of the Arkansas and Missouri Railroad train as the engine made its way to the Randal Tyson Track Center. This old train is also a popular joyride for passengers wanting to go south to places like Van Buren and Fort Smith.
Cole Willems and Charlie Lewis, two Fayetteville 3-year-olds, were extra excited to be on board. It was their first train trip, said the boys’ parents, as the kids squirmed in their seat while the adults snapped pictures.
“We were excited about this because to take him to Fort Smith might have been a little long,” said Chuck Lewis, Charlie’s dad.
This is the first year for the train shuttles. And already, passengers are thinking of improvements.
“It would be even cooler if there was a blues band on board,” offered Pivonka"

Chuck and I took Charlie to BBB 2008. This year they had the Arkansas-Missouri train help the visitors commute back and forth from Dickson Street to the Track Center. We saw a great oppourtunity for Charlie since he is obsessed with trains so much to be able to ride his very first "real" train ride. HE LOVED IT!! He was grinning from ear to ear. He asked me where the Hot Chocolate was. If you ever watched "Polar Express" you know what I am talking about. He didn't want it to end. He was able to go on this ride with his best buddy, Cole. You would have thought they had died and gone to heaven.

Charlie Redeems Himself!

Okay, so the second soccer practice was awesome!! On my last post things were looking pretty gloomy for little Charlie. He didn't have a great week last week and we needed to change some things up a bit. After his day at school on Friday his weekend was not looking fun at all. He had gotten into trouble all day long and just wasn't listening to the teachers at all. They have a color system at school for how your child did for that day. Green meaning they had a great day, yellow is not so great and then the RED which is not good at all!! Last Wednesday Charlie was in the yellow. Uh oh! So I talked to him and tried to make him understand that he has to listen to his mommy and daddy, his teachers and his coaches. And of course I get the, "ok mommy, I understand". RIGHT! I come pick him up on Friday and he's got that big red card flashing at me. Well, needless to say, I was not a happy camper. I took his TV priveleges away and the most agonizing thing that I could do to him was to take all his trains away. That's right, I put my foot down and took his most favorite things aways for the entire weekend. He had a chance to redeem himself at soccer last Saturday, but that didn't take. So by Sunday, Charlie comes up to me and says, "mommy I listen to you and daddy, and my teachers, and my coach...I sorry I don't listen". I DIDN'T BUCKLE!! GO ME! I told him that words don't add up to much for me at this moment that I wanted action. He was actually really good not whining for his trains or to be able to watch cartoons. I was shocked. Come Monday after school, I slowly came around the corner to see what fate my son was in. Oh my gosh, IT'S GREEN!!! Ms Cindy said that he was wonderful, they had a great day and that he listened everytime that she asked him to do something. Whoo Hoo!! So, my punishment worked...how long will it work, we won't know, but the main point is that it did this time!! So to all the mommy's out there, stick to your guns and ride it out. The outcome is well worth it!! All week long we have had a great time. I'm wasn't on him constantly. It was pretty funny on Monday night when he got his trains back. He started making a track and layed out his engines and was just having a grand ole time. Then bedtime rolls around and he looks at me and his daddy and says, "please don't touch my trains and tracks". The fear was in his eyes and voice. It was so cute. We'll see if we have soccer tomorrow. It's suppose to rain so I'll keep you posted!

Soccer season has begun!!

Well, it's official...I can truely call myself a "soccer Mom"!! Charlie had his very first soccer practice this morning. He looked so adorable in his soccer attire. I tried his outfit on last night and he was so in the mode of playing soccer and was excited about going to practice. However, that wasn't the case this morning at practice. I just don't know what happen to him. He was clingy and whiney, just not the norm for him. He acted like he was tired. I'm not quite sure how that could be since he went to bed at 9pm last night and woke up at 7am this morning. He did kick the ball around a bit back and forth but only on his terms. Hopefully, Monday's practice will go smoother. Chuck and Charlie are actually outside right now as we speak kicking the ball around. I'll let you know how it goes Monday. By the way, I have a new blog for you to check out. This is for my new little side business. http://justboardbywendy.blogger.com

A Visit from Special People

I just had a wonderful visit from our niece (Samantha), nephew (Shane) and great niece (Skylar). Skylar and Charlie had the best time!! Skylar is about 6 months older than Charlie so it was a lot like have twins running around the house. They were too funny!! Charlie was very upset when they left. He wanted to go back to Chattanooga with them. Hopefully we'll be able to visit them during Christmas break.

Now, the house is too quiet!! I'm not yelling at the kids to stop pushing, or pulling hair or to share their toys. I did it during my first part of my marriage and all I can say is...kudos to all you moms with more than one kiddo!! It's tough and I'm sorry to say but it doesn't get any better in their teen years! It is fun and challenging but also exhausting!!!!

Anyways, I have started making and selling custom made hairbow hangers and memory boards. I am also doing letters for children's rooms. I need to upload my pictures to show off my work. Hang tight for now and I'll post the pics later on today.

Happy Anniversary!!

What in the world have I done in the past year??!! Holy cow, this year has just flown by!! Hello to all! I'm no longer at the fair!! :) Let's see, let's start with little Charlie. Charlie is gigantic!! He is going to turn 4 in October. Makes my eyes tear up just thinking about it. He is a little over 42" tall and weighs 43 pounds. He is solid!! He just cracks me up! He is the sweetest, most lovable and hilarious child out there!! He is so obsessed with any "Thomas" affiliated trains!! There needs to be a different word for it. It's to the point we may need rehab or an intervention!! I sure everyone is tired of him talking about all the engines but I so glad that he already has a passion for something at the age of 3. He is very secure with himself. He is not scared at all to be in a room by himself. He can just sit there and entertain himself forever!! I sit there and watch and listen to him and I am in awe to see and hear how creative and imaginative he is. He is a little parrot so you do need to watch what you say around him. I'm getting really good spelling things out now. It just isn't the same though when you are so frustrated and angry and you spell out the explicits! He is definately the best thing that I have ever done!!!

Chuck and I are doing well. Chuck has been working A LOT!! I have taken up a hobby in gardening. So far so good. I haven't killed most of them (yet)! I love my herb garden. It is so...nice to just be able to go right outside your house and grab what ever herb you need instead of going to the store and paying $3 for a little bunch that dies practically the next day. I am started my own Pampered Chef business. It's been real fun getting to meet all the people. I probably need to really get after it but it's just so hard when your husband has late night meetings or business trips. It's just something for me.

I did get to go to a girl's weekend getaway at my dear friend's cabin (Stephanie Link) this past weekend. It was absolutely wonderful and much needed. If fact, I was complaining the first night that it was insanely too quiet. Chuck and I haven't taken a vacation lately. He's been so busy at work it's just a bit hard to work in with his schedule and Charlie's school. I hate taking Charlie out of school (especially since we pay for him to go there). It just seems like money down the drain when he misses school.

Anyhow, I will blog later (promise it won't be another year) when I have more time to sit down and actually gather my thoughts.