Happy Easter!

Charlie's Lip

Charlie gave everyone a scare last night. Around 11 o'clock we heard a loud "thud" and ran to Charlie's room to see what happened. He was lying on the floor at the end of his bed in a pool of blood. He had rolled off the end of the bed onto the wooden floor - thoroughly busting his nose and upper lip. The next few hours were spent drying blood and tears and checking for damage to teeth. We saw the dentist this morning who said no fractures, just a lot of bruising to the gum line. Hopefully, we won't end up with two black front teeth! Lots of mashed potatoes and milk shakes to look forward to this week!

Nanny's Little Helper

Charlie and Kate spent the night with Nanny last week-end. Charlie helped her water her plants and cook supper.

Climbing Mimi's Tree

Kate has been asking to climb a tree for a week now. We went to see Mimi last weekend and she was elated to discover the twisy crepe myrtle in Mimi's back yard - perfect for a first climb.

Rock Star Party

Kate went to a Rock Star Party last night. "What is a rock star?" she asked. We transformed a princess costume into perfect rock star attire. Thanks, Aunt Collins, for the pink and purple hair for Christmas. The party was lots of fun with dancing, games, and additional dress up accessories - glitter hair spray, tattoos, and plastic guitars. I still don't think Kate knows exactly what the theme was, but she had tons of fun.

Nativity Play

Kate was a perfect little angel for her 4 year old nativity play this week. Mrs. Nella read a Christmas story poem and the children acted it out. Kate lifted her arms to heaven right on cue. The class topped off their performance with "Away in a Manger." The whole thing lasted about 2 minutes, but every parent was there with cameras and video recorders to capture the moment.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We spent this Thanksgiving with Nancy in her new house. It was a wonderful first big meal out of her new kitchen. Tom got up early (after a busy night of moonlighting) to start smoking the turkey. Needless to say, after a big meal he passed out. CeCe and I walked the kids to Overton park to play, but it was too cold to stay for long. When we got home, Charlie did his best to wake his daddy up - not happening. While Daddy slept, Kate and Charlie helped CeCe make the whipped cream for the pumpkin pie. To finish the day, we watched Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving special and ate pumpkin pie for dessert.

Peter and the Wolf

Nanny and I took Kate and her friend Summer to see the Children's Theater production of Peter and the Wolf. They loved it. The Alabama Symphony orchestra played and there were refreshments afterward. Kate had her picture made with a few of the characters. The wolf was a bit intimidating, but showed her how the costume snapped on and how the hat attached. Now she wants a wolf costume.

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."