Fun City!!

Well, Charlie and I went on a playdate to the movies...we thought! We got there before the others showed up and they had four huge youth groups already there scattered all over the place. They had a seat here, two seats there and no where for us mommies and kiddos to sit together. So, we decided to go elsewhere and do the movies next week with a better stategy. We went to Fun City instead. Charlie thought he had died and gone to heaven. The kids had a ball. We stayed there for three hours...THREE! We couldn't believe we were there for that long. Charlie played hard the whole time. He didn't even stop to eat. Maybe it was the tub of popcorn that I got him that did him in. When Charlie found out that we weren't going to watch a movie he was upset!! So we compromised with a tub of popcorn and I still had to drag him out of there. Anyways...I was a bit skeptical about going to Fun City because I always thought of it as Germ City...but they renovated the facility and made it more spacious so it wasn't bad at all. Again...I had to drag the boy out of there to leave for naptime. He loves playing!! What a life!

Anyhow, this past Sunday Charlie went on his first slip-n-slide. It was hilarious!! He paid more attention to the water hose than anything. The water was so cold. His poor little hand was purple by the time he was finished. He came up to me and said..."done...shower please!" for the warm water. Saturday we went to our annual POA pool party. Charlie was swimming here and there and telling everyone "hi" (he's not shy). The grown-ups were playing water volleyball and it didn't even phase Charlie when they would dive for the ball and splash him. He thought it was funny. We had a good time. I love our subdivision! Of course you have those who don't want to be talked to but for the most part everyone is so...nice here.

Charlie is doing well at school. He is doing much better adjusting to naptime there. I try to get him up at 7am so that by the time naptime comes around he'll be willing to go down. Well, telling you about naptime is making me tired. Good night for now...

Happy Father's Day!!

To the best father in the world...my husband. He is so...wonderful! I've never met any person that is so compassionate, understanding, kind-hearted and loving to his children until I met Chuck. He is such a wonderful role model to the kids. It is true honor and blessing to have him father my child. Charlie loves his daddy so much. Even though Charlie is so a "momma's boy, he loves horsing around with his daddy. In the morning, if his daddy doesn't give him a kiss good-bye before Chuck leaves for work, Charlie gets so...upset! He is a wonderful daddy to our little girls as well. Missy still has some aggresive issues because...well that's just Missy, but when you catch her in her sweet mood she just loves him and Tinker just absolutely adores her daddy. He is just well loved and needed!!! Here's to you Chuck...Happy Father's Day!!

Just Four More Months...

Well, it's getting closer to my baby's 3rd year. I can't believe it. Today he is 32 months. It is so true that they just grow up so quick in a blink of an eye. It was hard for me for his first birthday. His second was not too bad...but for some reason this third year coming up is really hard for me. I guess because he is his own little person now. He's having a conversation with you and he understands oh so much more than we give him credit for...and he is so stinkin' sharp!! You can't really trick this little one. Today I was able to trick him though. He had his first taste of chocolate milk. I have to call it "chocolate juice". I don't want him to get it confused or substitute it for regular milk. Chuck thinks I'm crazy for telling him this. So far so good!!

I have to start planning for his birthday. I'm thinking a Shrek theme. I'm not sure if we should have it here at the house or at a facility. It's nice to have it somewhere other than your home because you don't have to clean before or after. However, it is much more relaxing at your own house. You're on your own turf to do what you want and you are not on a strict timeline. I know...I have four more months to plan this, but if you know me well you know that this is my normal tactics.

Well, it's getting late and I have to get up early to get Prince Charles ready for school tomorrow. I'll keep you updated...

First Day of Summer School

Today was Charlie's first day in summer school. He was so...excited this morning. I asked him, "are you ready to go to school today?" He says, "I want to see Phoebe!" She's his little girlfriend in his class that he kissed during their end-of-the-year program. When we got out of the suburban I put his backpack on him and he just look too cute walking into the building. He is such a big boy now. I was a little bit worried about naptime because I normally pick him up at noon, but during summer he stays until 2pm. When I would pick him up at noon he would go down for about 2 hours...at around 12:30 or so...now that he gets picked up at 2pm he has to nap there. Today it took him about 45 minutes before he would fall asleep. I had forgotten to pack a blanket and stuffed animal for him to sleep with to keep him comfortable. BAD MOMMY! The teacher said he did really well though. Anyways, nothing much happened today. I'll blog tomorrow...it's time for bedtime!

Time just flew on by...

Ok...it's been a bizillion years since I last posted anything. Seriously, where does the time go?? Well let's see...we'll start off with Charlie. Charlie has completed his "Toddler" year at his school and is on his break before Summer school starts up next week. He had an awesome year with all his little friends and his two teachers Mrs Terri and Mrs Stephanie. They were a true blessing! Charlie had his very first end of school program (wouldn't you know that I would miss this!) His class were little ladybugs and they had to sing three songs. Chuck recorded all of it on the video recorder and let me tell you...too stinkin' cute! Charlie actually kissed his little girlfriend, Phoebe, during the second song. Adorable! So far on his little summer break, all he has been doing is going swimming. He loves to swim! If fact, we just finished up with a playdate with two of his classmates and went swimming. They had a ton of fun together. Charlie's vocabulary is getting stronger and stronger everyday. He is saying sentences now which is kind of freaking me out. Before you know it...he'll be speaking out to his graduating class (my wishes). We took him to the movies for the first time. We went to see Shrek the Third. He did so...good. He sat there with his Shrek that we got from Build-a-Bear and he was chomping away on a tub of popcorn. We had no problems...well we got there a little late so we had to sit on the second row which was fine for Charlie since he is so used to looking up to see the T.V., but for Chuck and I it was like watching a tennis match. It was not that comfortable-why they even have those 3 front rows is beyond me.

I just recently got back from New Orleans. I was part of the wedding party for my good friend, Marisa. It was a beautiful ceremony. My girlfriends and I had a blast together. Life without them would be oh so different. For the past few weeks we have been busy throwing or attending parties/showers for her. Now that the wedding is over, we have no idea what to do with ourselves now. We'll just have to get together and celebrate absolutely nothing! I've been accepted in the NWA Junior League so I'll be busy with that from now on.

The rest of the family is doing well. Chuck has been working long hard hours (surprise). He's like the Energizer bunny. He took care of Charlie while I was gone to New Orleans. He is a great Mr. Mom. It was good for the two of them to have one-on-one time together. Bailey is taking a couple courses through the summer to get caught up and she is also working full time at the her work. Just being a busy bee as usual. That pretty much sums it up for the past two months. Now that things have calmed down, I'll be better at updating our blog. Good-bye for now...

Doggy Birthdays...What Will We Do Next??

Well...I can now say that I've been to a dog's birthday! Tinker and Missy just didn't know what to think. It was there first time. I had them all dressed up in their sundresses...which were just adorable. They (the dogs) didn't seem to like it very much! Missy did really well. She roamed around for a bit but was ready for anybody to pick her up. Definately a lap dog. Tinker on the other hand did not do very well AT ALL!! If fact, she would not even place one paw on the floor. Chuck had to hold her the whole time. (We were there for 3 hours!!!) Tinker is the "sweet" puppy. Well, she showed her true colors this afternoon. She showed all teeth to every dog that came 2 foot from her. These little chis think that they are Rottweilers or something. Abby (the birthday girl) seemed to have a great time. They had a cake in the shape of a bone that had "Happy Birthday Abby" on it for her made from the doggy bakery. My dogs didn't care for it. They prefer the real stuff!!! They're no fool! Abby opened her presents and the dogs just loved playing with all the toys and sniffing all the treats. All and all it was an event that we will definately never forget. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABBY!!

Happy Easter!

Well, Easter was a hit! The only bad thing was the weather...it was too cold! Now, the kids didn't mind so much but it just wasn't the best for us parents. I guess that's what happens when you get older. Before when we were little ones we were invincible!! Now...we're big pansies. HA! Charlie was doing so well finding the eggs until he got to the 7th one and then threw his basket down and ran to the swing set. He was just so happy to be outside. Cole on the other hand was an excellent hunter!! He was on the prowl! Poor Bailey felt left out since we didn't make here an Easter basket so she started hunting eggs and piling them up in her shirt. The boys had so...much fun together. They were squealing like little girls chasing one another. It was so cute. Olivia has gotten so big. She is crawling everywhere and starting to stand up with a little help. She was awesome keeping up with the boys. They were sugared up! Between all the candy and the cupcakes...whew, I am one tired momma!! Anyhow, we had a wonderful time with all the kids. I hope you enjoy the slideshow of them having the time of their lives!!

The Tree Hugger's Cult...

Ok...we have been living in Fayetteviille now for about 3 years now (I use to live here before I married Chuck, but that's a different story) and this morning at 7:00am we have been initiated into the capital of the "tree huggers USA of NWA". :) My family and I woke up at 6am to get ready for the first day of the farmer's market for the season. Today they gave away free trees to all residence of Fayetteville. We came home with 3 Dogwoods, 2 Sugar Maples and a Hydrangea bush. Now...where do we plant them without Prince Charles messing with them??? That is the question of the day. I'm getting ready to dye eggs for tomorrows Easter egg hunt. Here is a slideshow of Charlie's egg hunt at school. There will be more pictures tomorrow with the grandkids. Enjoy...

The hunt is on...

Today Charlie had his Easter Egg hunt at school. Let me just say two words...too stinkin cute!! Ok, that was three. He did so...good. His teachers made all of them Easter baskets that looked like a bunny out of a one gallon milk jug. All the kids came out ready to go. Charlie just started picking up all the eggs that he could place in his basket. He finally noticed that the parents were watching them like the paparazzi and got a little side tracked. He waved at us and went back to his own little world. After the hunt was over...all the kids just dumped out there baskets and started kicking all the eggs every where. One little boy, Cole, was body slamming the eggs. That was too funny! I'm going to figure out how to put video on this blog so everyone can get a kick out of it. The excitement was just too much that my son passed out before their lunch time. He has now figured out that those little plastic pastel colored egg shaped objects have surprises in them. He pretty much was loaded up with sugar today. Anyhow, I've got to put him to bed. Hopefully tonight I'll have a moment to upload the pictures. Good night for now...

In Memory of a best friend...

Today, I dedicate this blog to a truely wonderful companion ...Teddy. Teddy has left us today to be in the most beautiful place imaginable. Our hearts and prayers go out to his parents Shane and Samantha. You were and still are very much loved and we will miss you dearly Teddy!

I love Sunday's

At Grandpa's

Where does the time go??

Well...a lot has happened in the past month. Yes, it's been awhile since I've posted anything. Charlie has been keeping me very busy these days. He is such a great kid...but into EVERYTHING!! He's testing me here and there. There are times that I just want to scream but then...there are times I just want to laugh so hard because it's so darn cute. The other day he got in trouble and I sent him to his corner. He always has to place his nose right at the corner and just is so upset. He just looked so...cute that I just had to take a picture. So I went to get the camera and turned it on. Well, Prince Charles heard the camera turn on and as his nose is still planted to that corner and boo-hooing he says "cheese". I had to run to the other side of the room and snicker...I just couldn't help myself. His spring break was last week and let me tell you...he wanted to be on the go ALL THE TIME!

This past Monday was our 8 year anniversary. It just seems like yesterday we said our I do's. Bailey watched Charlie while we went out to dinner and a movie. She insisted that we go out. Come to find out, she had other things up her sleeve. This past Wednesday was my 32nd birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! I have started a collection of cookie jars and she searched high and low for a chihuahua jar. She found one and also found a chi cookie cutter. So she thought it would be cute if there were little chi cookies in the jar. Well, that is why she wanted us to leave Monday night so she could bake the cookies. Bailey's not much a baker and didn't realize how thin she should roll out the sugar cookie dough so as the cookies grew and grew and grew in the oven...they started to look a bit like mittens. Poor girl...she worked so hard for my birthday gift. It's those little extra things that she does that makes me love her more. The effort that she puts into everything. Anyhow, on the night of my birthday we had a nice family dinner at Hugo's. Yummo!!

This past Thursday we went to the Fort to take my dad out for his 70th birthday. I can't believe he's 70. He really enjoyed seeing Charlie. I wish he would come up more often. Charlie really enjoyed him as well. I think my son was in heaven when he got on my dad's water bed. Dad will be celebrating his birthday in Hawaii. How about that for a celebration?!!

Friday Chuck and I met with my friends for my birthday dinner. We had such a great time. They all are so good to me. Life would be so different without my family and great friends. So...my birthday has come and gone so here we go with another year of who knows what will happen. I got a new camera from Chuck so you'll be seeing more and more pictures of everyone and I promise I will not wait so long to do another post. Good night for now...

My 32nd Birthday!

The Wiggles Weekend

Well...Charlie has seen The Wiggles Live! We went to Memphis Saturday morning just so our little boy could see his favorite guys. He was loving it!! It was too cute to watch his little eyes light up and to see him dance or try to sing their song. Chuck bought him memorabilia to bring home and anytime you try to take it away from him it's like the world is ending. Hopefully they'll be near again next year so we can take him again. It was all worth it. Charlie was so...tired that once we all fell asleep the smoke alarm went off at the hotel for 15 minutes. Did my son wiggle?? Not an inch. That's Chuck's son alright. We came back Sunday and we are still worn out!! I'll post some pictures once I have the energy to do so.

The weather for the past couple of days has been BEAUTIFUL!! Charlie is absolutely loving it! He could live outside I think. We will be leaving to go to Memphis this weekend to see The Wiggles. I keep telling him, "Charlie, are you ready to see The Wiggles?" He just looks at me like, "what are you talking about?" I don't think he is understanding what's going to happen in a few days. I can't wait to see how he reacts to all of this.

Everyday, he says more and more. It's so exciting to hear him talk and have somewhat of a conversation with him, but on the other hand it is so depressing! My baby boy is growing up too fast to suit me! Before I know it, he'll be starting Kindergarten and that will flash by so quick I just won't know what to do.

Bailey just got over being very ill for the past week. She has passed her germs to her father and now he is miserable. I just hope he'll be able to make it this weekend. I am shocked that Charlie hasn't gotten it yet. (Knock on wood) It'll be just my luck that he'll start feeling ewie on Friday. Or maybe even me. That's just what I need. We'll just take it one day at a time.

Valentine's Day

This past Wednesday was Valentine's. Charlie had his school party and brought Valentine's cards and candy to all of his little friends. He brought gifts for his teachers as well. Both of them received the "Willow Tree" collection "Thank you" angels. They have really made a difference in his life. They are such good teachers. He loves them so much. Chuck and I didn't go out for our Valentine's that evening. It's just so hard to do it with everyone out to celebrate. So we have decided to celebrate this evening. YEA!! Dinner and a movie. I know to some of you that doesn't sound very exciting but when the children come into your lives that's like going to Fiji. Ok, maybe not that extreme but for those who have children, you know what I mean.

I got my ears pierced last night. I had them pierced at a tattoo parlor. YIKES! I was a nervous wreck. It wasn't at all bad!! I've had my ears pierced twice before about 20 years ago but they got so infected and the posts that they used had lots of nickel in it and of course with my luck, my skin didn't like it very much. So, I thought I would do something different the third time around. Why not? So far so good. Now let's try to keep Charlie from pulling and tugging on them.

This weekend is the start of Vietnamese New Year's. I believe it's the year of the Pig. We're not doing much to celebrate. My mom sent us a traditional Vietnamese outfit for Charlie to wear on Sunday. I'll take lots of pics to show him off.

Next weekend, we are taking Charlie to Memphis to go and see The Wiggles LIVE! I just hope he doesn't pee in his pants from excitement!! He is probably THE BIGGEST FAN EVER!!! He knows their songs and dances...it's too cute to watch his little face light up everytime he sees or hears them. I know he won't remember a lot of this...but I will!!

That pretty much wraps it up for now. Until next time...

This is my beautiful family during Christmas 2006. Aren't my boys handsome?