cards

As many of you know, I have a love for making cards, invitations, announcements, etc. I don't get to do it very often for obvious reasons. On Thursday of Horizons week, they always have a little get together for the female counselors and do a "dirty Santa" game. Since funds are tight in the Ward household, I racked my brain to think of something I could do to not spend any money for my gift to give. I remembered that I had a box of cards and envelopes so to work I went. I had the best time! It was a set of 12 cards - 2 cards of each design. A couple of the designs/layouts I stole from the "Stampin' Up" collection but the rest are my creations. I was proud to give them as a gift and wanted to show all of you a talent I have. I always feel like I'm bragging though and saying, "look at what I can do!" The day they were opened, I didn't really want to let them know who made them but had to. I got many compliments that were greatly appreciated since they did take me the whole week before to make. So, without further adieu...

the big boy cup...

Well, we ventured into the world of the "big boy" cup. Charlie loves to drink out of my and Daniel's cups at mealtimes with our help. He seems to have always had an obsession with cups and has always known what to do with them. I've been letting him drink out of mine on his own at lunchtime most days. And, yes, we have had a couple of "dump it in the lap" times. But how else are you going to learn? :) Well, this morning at breakfast, all of Charlie's sippy cups were in the dishwasher and it was running so I got the bright idea to see how he would do with his own size big boy cup. It went ok for the most part. He has trouble knowing to turn it up so that he can get any out because I only put like a 1/4 of an inch worth in the cup. This, of course, would cause him to get frustrated and scream. On a tangent for a moment...if you don't mind...all you moms out there...how do you get your child to not scream at what he wants? I mean, I would settle for a squeal or anything of the sort but I get the shrill scream especially if you are not right on top of it! He's learning to point but it is now accompanied with not just a cute little grunt or whine but an all out scream. Any suggestions would be welcome...maybe I won't have pulled all my hair out before he grows out of it! I mean a whole day of it will take it out of a woman! Ok...back on subject...big boy cups. So, we tried it. Like anything, it will take some practice but we'll keep working on it. Below are the pictures to commemorate the occasion...oh, and check out that breakfast! I was a good mommy and Charlie got eggs, grapes and toast for breakfast! Much better than Cheerios/fruit or oatmeal/fruit any day...

Horizons 2008

Well, Charlie and I survived our week at Horizons. We had a great week. I really enjoyed my time there and enjoyed getting to know the 12 girls we had as well as the other counselors. Total kids this past week was probably close to 600.

Charlie was a trooper. We were able to work in his naps most of the time but they weren't near as long as they usually are. His nighttime sleep was shortened too due to the schedule. Somehow he managed and now has lots of girlfriends! Everybody knew who Charlie was! I don't think I would have had as good of a week if my friend, Kathy, hadn't been there as well. Charlie knows her well so she was able to relieve me sometimes or was able to stay in the room while he slept and I went to class. The classes I was able to attend were great. The theme this year was "In Christ Alone". One of our girls was baptized along with many others during the week.

A typical day was breakfast between 7:15 and 8:15. Morning chapel at 8:30. Counselor time/discussion time at 9:30. Morning class was from 10 until 11:15. Lunch was 11:30 to 12:45. Afternoon class was from 1:00 until 2:15. Free time was until 4:30. Dinner was from 4:45 until 5:45. Night chapel was at 6:00. Evening activities started around 7:15 and lasted until 8:45. Dorm devo was at 9:00. Pizza was served from 9:30 until 10. Counselor time was at 10 and lights out were at 11. However, I don't think Kathy and I made it to bed before 1 am. I normally had to leave evening activities early to put Charlie down for the night. He was usually in the bed by 8:00 or 8:30. Luckily, he sleeps well in his pack n play.

Evening activities included dodgeball, a carnival, Horizons singers/ice cream social, and the talent show. The kids seemed to enjoy all of them. Kathy and I enjoyed our counselor time at night the most. This is when we were able to get to know our girls better. We had a few activities for them like making t-shirts, bracelets and decorating their pictures with paper, stamps, etc. Wednesday night was the best because we were all sleep deprived, full of sugar and caffeine, and very talkative. We had the best time!

The t-shirts we made said "Dixon Dolls". We stayed in Dixon Hall. I'll get a picture of us in our shirts from Kathy and get it posted. Charlie's shirt said "Dixon Dude". Here is a picture of him in his shirt...everyone also loved his "sperry's" (shoes)...

Here are a few other pictures from our week...

morning surprise

I went in to get Charlie out of his crib this morning and this is what I walked in and saw...

Charlie standing up in his crib!

beach trip

We spent the week of July 4th at Panama City Beach, Florida, with Daniel's family - Gram, Papa, Aunt Stacey, Uncle Mike and Branson. We had great weather most days! It was really hot the last day or so and rained a few times but all in all...great weather. Charlie did well. He got his naps as usual and ate like a little pig. He enjoyed the water and the sand. We just couldn't keep him occupied very long. Now that he is getting good at walking (with support), he wants to walk everywhere. So we spent most of our time on the beach walking him around in the sand and at the edge of the water. I taught him how to climb stairs a day or so before we left and he loves doing that. I made the mistake of letting him climb the stairs at the beach house so guess what he wanted to do the whole time!?! Charlie has developed himself a little temper and will pitch a fit if you don't take him where he wants to go. I'm probably the only one that will stand up to him right now. It's so hard to do! Do kids reach the terrible two's at 14 months? I think he's just spoiled. But, it's either give him his way or listen to him scream and cry. What's a mom to do?

We were lucky on the 4th. We could just sit out on the beach and watch all the fireworks in PC and could see some in Destin. Just a little ways down, there were some people shooting fireworks that were great! So we got a great fireworks show without spending a dime! Charlie was just curious about the sounds, and then he went to sleep since it was past his bedtime. All in all, it was great food, great scenery, great company...great vacation! Here are a few pictures and videos from our trip...

Now, I'm packing up again to go to Horizons at Freed-Hardeman University for a week with some of our teen girls and a friend of mine from church. Charlie gets to go and spend the week with me so we'll see how that goes. I'm excited about going but nervous at the same time since Charlie is going. You just never know how things are going to go with a toddler. I don't know if I'll get to post while I'm there but I'll definitely let you know how it goes when I get back. In the meantime, if you haven't responded to my previous post about growing God's kingdom, I would really appreciate your feedback. Well, off to pack...

funny story...

Yesterday, I wasn't feeling all that good so I was doing my best to veg on the couch while keeping up with a 14 month old. Not easy to do...however, I am lucky in that I have a child who plays well by himself. I feel comfortable letting Charlie just crawl around the living room, dining room and kitchen without me watching him like a hawk. Well, due to my condition yesterday, this was what he was doing. Well, you know how you always hear parents say that if it gets quiet, their child is doing something they're not supposed to? I can now totally emphathize. Charlie had crawled (well, slid) into the kitchen and I heard him opening and closing the Tupperware cabinet and then opening and closing the pantry door, which is a favorite pasttime of his. Then, it got quiet. It took me a minute though to realize it was quiet though. I got up to check on him. He was sitting on the floor surrounded by dog food. Dog food in each hand and, of course, dog food in his mouth. I fished out a piece and a half. Guess he had been gumming that one for a while. Yuck! Luckily, dog food is not poisonous. We always keep the dog food in the pantry by the garbage can but it is usually too full for Charlie to move. This bag was down to just a little left so he was able to move it around. There's nutritious stuff in dog food...right?