Happy Halloween

Kate and Charlie dressed up this morning for their school Halloween parties. Charlie happily played in his superman costume all morning. Just as we were walking out the door he grabbed the cape and said, "Cape - off" as he wriggled out of the whole suit. The fireman worked out a little better for him and he actually kept up with the hat all day. Kate did not make it through the day as a lion. I picked her up from school in pink floweredy overalls with her whiskers still painted on. It is a little toasty in there on a warm day. Tonight will be great fun as we head out for some candy collection. Happy Halloween!

Bedtime Woes

Happy Birthday, Charlie!

Charlie turned two today! We celebrated at Triangle Park with a few close friends and family this morning. Charlie enjoyed digging in the dirt with his new excavators and diggers. The girls climbed the jungle gym and played "soccer." We had cake and ice cream and an all around great time. Now everyone has passed out from the activity and the sugar high. I think I am going to join them!

Kate's First Barbie

Kate loves for Mom to go up in the attic and bring down my old toys. Last week, she brought down the barbie suitcase. This is the barbie Kate chose for her own. She carries around one pink shoe to go on the foot. I love it that she has no concept of the barbie world of fashion. She loves this one-legged, no arms, frizzy-headed barbie like it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

Charlie at the Park

I took Charlie to the park yesterday while Kate was at school. I've been feeling guilty lately for not having as many pictures of him as I do of Kate, so I followed him around with the camera. I think I got some pretty good ones. Can you tell he takes his playtime pretty seriously:) Thought I'd share.

God is so Good!

New Hair

I took Kate to get a trim last week. We ended up with an adorable new bob. It took a little getting used to, but now she loves it. It was sad to see the long curls go, but we have no more hair-washing, tangle-combing, ponytail-fixing battles!!!

Bye, Bye Miss Melissa

Yesterday was Melissa's last day with us as our Nanny. Kate and Charlie really don't "get it." We hope she will be able to babysit every now and then, so the kids won't go into complete Melissa withdrawals. Good luck at your new job!!!!

Martinique

We just got back from the beach with the extended family. It was our first time to Orange Beach at place called Martinique on the Gulf. The house was beautiful and held all 12 of us without any trouble. Kate and Charlie had a ball learning how to "surf" on Uncle Tom's surfboard, swimming in the pool, and building sandcastles in the cool evenings. The adults spent most of our downtime working a 3,000 piece puzzle that Katherine brought (we will be finishing it at Christmastime). Uncle Michael and Aunt Sara enjoyed taking late walks on the beach, reading, and visiting with the kids. The Owen's branch of the family met Pops at the Blue Angels air show one morning in Pensacola and went to the flight museum afterward for a cool indoor activity. The kids loved "flying" the airplanes. One of the highlights of the trip was seeing Fort Morgan where Tom grew up camping and exploring. I think my favorite pictures are from our time at Fort Morgan.

Happy Birthday, Tom!

Tom turned 40 July 19th. I tried to make it a little less traumatic by surprising him with the grill of his dreams - The Big Green Egg!! I think it is going to be a gift that keeps on giving. My meat dishes are taken care of for the rest of my life! Yea! Above are some pictures of his first chicken and pork roasts. The chicken was just skinless, boneless breasts with salt and pepper - normally dry and chewy on the grill. These were juicy and tender. The pork was tender as well, he smoked it all night with no worries. Go Tom! Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

We spent the 4th of July at the lake with friends. The kids had a blast. We ate barbeque and swam with the children. The adults enjoyed skiing and wakeboarding and the kids loved the boat ride. Kate cannot wait until she can ski, too. I have to remind her - first, we need to learn to put our face in the water and blow bubbles. Leah passed out ice cream cones to all of the children at the end of the day. They had to be soaped down in the lake to get the sticky off before going inside. What a fine day.

Lips

Charlie found my make-up this morning. I don't know why I trusted him when he said, "No open." When I noticed how quiet the house was, I found him. He said, "Lips."

Happy 4th Birthday, Kate!

Kate turned 4 this past Sunday. She had lots of friends at her Kindermusik party at the Pink House. Everyone danced, played instruments, sang, and ate lots of cake. There were pink dresses and bows galore. Cousin Lola came down from Nashville and enjoyed an extended stay at our house. She and Charlie have both mastered the word "mine" at the same time. Mimi came up from Sylacauga and we celebrated her 81st birthday Saturday night at a Chinese restaurant. She is just as beautiful as ever. Happy Birthday to two beautiful ladies!

Beautifulest Butterfly

Beautifulest Butterfly from Tom on Vimeo

Charlie Dancing

Charlie Dances from Tom on Vimeo

Beach Trip

We just got back from a trip to the beach with the Dennards and their baby girl Avery. The water was beautiful as was the weather. We decided that going on vacation with kids is really not a vacation, it is a trip. Going away with your spouse without kids would be considered a true vacation. Even though it was a lot of work managing three toddlers, we had a great time catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. Kate and Charlie discovered a "pond" full of tadpoles, Ryan caught crab and fish with his net, and we built many sandcastles. Charlie had a crush on our beach neighbor, Ella - I think she is his first kiss. He still talks about her.

Pell City Fly-in

Saturday morning we woke up early and got out of the house by 7:00 am - probably a record for all four of us. Tom drove the family to the Pell City airport fly-in breakfast to watch airplanes. For anyone who has never been to a fly-in: different airports host breakfast on various weekends of the month and pilots from all over "fly in" to eat and talk about flying. Basically, it is an excuse for pilots to get their airplanes out on beautiful days. Charlie and Kate had a ball and the weather could not have been more perfect.

Charlie Gets a Haircut

Lola's Visit

We loved having cousin Lola come for a visit this past week-end. She and Charlie are just about the same size and height. They spent most of their time trying to get whatever toy the other one possessed. Lola usually won. It is amazing how my children never play with certain toys and when a friend comes over, they fight over them. Human nature shining through. Thank the Lord for grace from above!

We're back!

Here are some new pictures of Kate and Charlie - finally! We really haven't gotten out the camera much since Christmas. Charlie's first year portfolio is pitifully small compared to Kate's. I'm afraid he is a typical second child in the photography department. Kate was ready for school watching the end of Diego! and Charlie was loving on her begging for attention - a typical scenario in our house. Charlie follows Kate around, and Kate spends most of her time trying to find a way get away from Charlie. It is funny how she misses him when they are apart.