backyard fun

Since we've been having some mild weather, I'm trying to get Charlie outside where he loves to be. (I'll have to admit, I'm enjoying it too.) We got out in the backyard yesterday and played. Now that Charlie is walking on his own, he's able to explore. He loves to watch Khaki run around and play with her ring. Charlie just squeals at her. We have a spot in our yard where we dump leaves, grass clippings, etc. and Charlie has discovered that it is alot of fun to play in...

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khaki's first trip to the dog park

Friday was such a beautiful day that we, along with the rest of the world, went to the park. We have an incredible park near us. They keep it immaculate and have great playgrounds and great walking trails. They recently opened the skate park there and fenced in the dog park. They separated the little dogs from the big dogs. Khaki got to go leash-free for the first time at the park with the other dogs. She was quite submissive with the other dogs but did well.

Charlie enjoyed riding his tricycle around as well. We played on the playground a little and went down the slide a couple of times. It was just so crowded that there was no chance of getting a swing without stalking somebody.

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little man

I took pictures of Charlie yesterday before church. He just looked too cute. This was our favorite picture.

Daniel saw the picture and said Charlie looked like he was selling dictionaries. That comment was then followed by this line..."Good morning, ma'am. Would you like to increase your vocabulary?" I was all but rolling on the floor laughing.

routines

We have discovered that Charlie is all about a routine. Here are a few examples:


1. If Charlie is up when I take a shower, he is in the bathroom with me as I get ready. The first thing I do is wrap my head in my towel and find some clothes. Before I get done doing that, Charlie is patting my chair, going "uh, uh, uh" for me to sit down. After that, he points to my head...uh, uh, uh...I towel dry my hair. Uh, uh, uh, and pointing at my hair dryer is next. I recently changed which brush I use while I dry my hair. This has thrown him off. He's usually content once I turn on the hair dryer and will go play but lately he keeps handing me my other brush. Once I'm done drying my hair, he opens my vanity drawer and starts pulling out various compacts and hands them to me. Charlie knows I put my makeup on next. Daniel got to experience this the other day and got tickled.

2. At night, after Charlie's bath, we always brush his teeth. When you're putting his pajamas on, he starts doing the sign for eat so most nights we would get him a snack before brushing his teeth. Well, we figured out that he's not hungry. He's telling you to brush his teeth. You brush his teeth and he points to the flosser. Yes, I floss his teeth. Then he points to the cup for some water. And lastly, he points to the towel for you to wipe his mouth and hands. He'll even point for you to hang the towel back up. Along with all the pointing is of course the uh, uh, uh's.

3. The one that surprised me the most...the other night Daniel was going to give Charlie his bath. I took Charlie into his room to take his clothes and diaper off. I got him undressed and set him on the floor and told him to go to his daddy for his bath. Instead of doing that, Charlie opened the bottom drawer of his changing table and pulled out a towel. So, I handed him a washcloth and off he went to the tub. I just got so tickled. Charlie knew I always get him a towel and washcloth out to go to his bath. I was just going to bring it behind him but Charlie knew that towel and washcloth went with him.

I'm sure there are more but I can't think of any right now. I guess we're all like that to an extent but it's just funny to watch as Charlie learns how the world works. It's also made me see what habitual people we are.

18 month pics

Charlie is now over 20 months old but I got the proofs for his 18 month pics right before Christmas. My uncle came and took the pictures. (He's gone pro so if you live nearby, he's available!) I just wanted to share some of them with you. They turned out so cute...

photos by:
Dale Hall Photography
(404)626-2972
dalehallphoto@yahoo.com

table and chairs

As seen in a previous post, Charlie got a table and chairs for Christmas. We have made this Charlie's new snack-eating area as well as coloring station. He's not too big on coloring yet but I know it's just a matter of time. He is all about a routine so he knows right where to go when it's juice or snack time. He used to eat his snack sitting on the kitchen floor so this was a welcome change. The first couple of days we had the table and chairs here, Charlie pushed the chairs all over the living room (or carried them). He would push one over to the couch and want to sit in it. I guess he's gotten used to them now because he pretty much leaves them alone.

playing house

My aunt and uncle in TN gave Charlie a house for Christmas. They said their grandson got one and loved it so they figured Charlie would love it as well. They were right! He has played and played with this thing. Daniel and I have played and played with this thing. It's got all these things on it to do like turn the light on, open the door and crawl through, open and close the window, etc. It even has a mailbox and a door bell. It has this purple rain spout on the side that you put balls in and they roll down. Charlie has figured out every little thing there is to do on it. So, thanks B and I!

New Year's

We got to go and spend some time with my grandmother in TN between Christmas and New Year's. I, unfortunately, was as sick as a dog with sinus stuff. I haven't been that sick in a while. Luckily, my parents were with us so between Daniel and the two of them, Charlie was well occupied while I laid up in the bed. I felt even worse because I wasn't able to spend time with my grandmother but I know she understood. It was good to see that she is doing well though. I just wish we could get her out of the house more.

We, including my parents, came back to GA in time for New Year's. My aunt and uncle, that live nearby, were hosting a Hall family get together at their house. We came back into town on New Year's Eve and I was just glad to be home and just wanted to go to bed so Mom, Charlie and I stayed home while Dad and Daniel made an appearance at the party. When I got up the next day, I still felt awful. My aunt and uncle were having lunch at their house and I was so wishy-washy about going because of how I felt. I finally decided just to suck it up and go because that's the only time I get to see some of my family during the year since my grandmother died. I did ok. Tylenol is a miracle drug and I had cough medicine so I survived. We had a great time just visiting and during the white elephant (dirty santa) game. It didn't get too rowdy. Charlie did well as long as Daniel or I were there with him. He would go anywhere with Grandpa or Grandma as well but wouldn't give anyone else the time of day. He just doesn't do well with strangers. Everyone wanted to love on him so badly though. Thanks to my aunt and uncle for having the whole gang over!

Christmas Day at the Halls

We spent Christmas Day with my parents. My sister and her husband spent the first part of the day with his parents and then came to Elba. My BIL's younger sister came and spent the time with us as well. We ate a wonderful dinner then opened presents. As always, we all got great gifts from each other. Charlie got lots of fun stuff including a tricycle that you'll see in the pictures. He loves that thing! I think he would ride for hours if there was someone there to push him. Grandpa did a pretty good job keeping him occupied on his tricycle while we were in AL. We had great weather while in AL so Charlie spent the majority of his time outside.

Dad's big present this year was his big TV. He had a flat panel TV installed above the fireplace and had all the wiring done for surround sound. He's just beside himself. :)

Christmas Eve at the Wards

We spent Christmas Eve at Daniel's parents' house. We had an incredible dinner and good company. Daniel's sister and her family were there as well. Since Christmas Eve fell on a Wednesday, we all had church that night so in between dinner and presents, Daniel, Charlie and I headed off to Bible Study. Charlie was struggling by this point to stay awake but managed to find a second wind when all the excitement of opening presents began. My nephew, Branson, had a good deal to do with that too. We all got great gifts and all seemed to enjoy the gifts that Daniel and I got for them. For the couple of days before, my FIL kept saying that Christmas was going to be different this year but wouldn't tell us how. So, at the end of opening presents, my MIL got up and read a little poem that explained to the four of us adults that if we wanted the rest of our Christmas present we must find it and she read us a clue. We went through four clues before we ended up at a pile of $1 bills. They did a great job with the clues and we had a blast trying to figure them out.

Charlie got a jack-in-the-box for Christmas and he wasn't quite sure what to do with it. It was funny to watch him react. Needless to say, it is put up for now. We'll try it again later.



We were able to spend more time with Daniel's family later in the week as well. Branson got Guitar Hero for his Playstation so we had our first experience with that. I now see why it is so popular and addicting! I just had a blast watching Branson play the game.

catching up...

I have been avoiding blogging for the last day or so simply because I have so much to blog about that it will take me a while to catch up. Every spare moment I had between Thanksgiving and Christmas was spent at my sewing machine making presents. Seeing as how I haven't sewn anything in years, I had a hard time getting my machine adjusted to make a decent stitch. I was taking out many more stitches than I was leaving in. Anyway, that is where all my extra time went so no blogging from this new seamstress. And I thought I would get some time to blog over the holidays but I spent the few days before Christmas finishing presents and it was a whirlwind after that. So from here on out, I'm just going to take a post and blog about each thing so that, even if no one else reads them, I'll have them to remember this Christmas season. There are a couple of funny Charlie things that happened in amongst all of it as well. I'm hoping to get it all done tonight but I have a feeling it will take a couple of days.

If you're a die-hard reader, happy reading...it's going to take a while...

sit n spin

While we were in Elba for the holidays, Charlie discovered the Sit N Spin. My MIL just sat him on it and to spinning he went. Now, how did he know to do that?

handmade gifts

I decided even before Thanksgiving that since our finances were tight this year and I'm home all day that I would make as many of our Christmas gifts as I could. I got online and searched for hours.

I found a great pattern for these little wristlet purses and knew that my sister and sister-in-law would love them. I ended up making I think 8 of them. I made one for my mom, my MIL, my sister and my SIL. I had a cousin, who lives close by, have a birthday. She turned 19. I just made her one in the process. Also, I always give a small gift to two girls in Elba who I babysat when I lived there. I still keep in touch with them even though they are now 18 and almost 21. (Man, I'm old!) I made each of them a purse. And, lastly, I made one for a girl here in Marietta that keeps Charlie alot. She never wants me to pay her so I felt like I needed to do something to show my appreciation for all the time she gives us. (We love you, Morgan!) I think they turned out so cute. I'm gonna have to make me one at some point. The zippers took a little learning but they're not put in as a typical zipper is so it was actually quite easy.

The chapstick holders went to all the girls in my family (mom, MIL, sis, SIL, grandmothers). I also gave one to a close friend of mine and to Charlie's Sunday School teacher. These seemed to be a big hit.

The Kleenex holders were for our grandmothers, for my close friend, and for Charlie's Sunday School teacher. These were so simple to make and you can't see any of the stitching, which I was so happy about! :)

The credit card holder was for my mom. She recently had her purse stolen so she has condensed the things she carries now. I thought it would be perfect. Again, quite simple to make.

The "scoodie". A combo between a scarf and a hoodie. I made one for my BIL and one for my nephew. I thought they could just wear them around the yard and out by the fire this winter. Just something quick to throw on instead of a big coat. I mean, who needs a big coat in south AL? The pattern shows a fru fru one with faux fur but I saw a youtube video of a guy making one out of a sweatshirt and it gave me the idea. I ended up buying a black fleece throw at Wal-Mart for $3.97 and made both of them. I was extremely impressed at how they turned out. Daniel and Charlie modeled them for pictures (even though Charlie didn't like it!). But, also look for them later in Christmas pics.

As for the packaging, these are just green cardstock. I printed the template, cut it out, folded it, glued it...wa-la! Tie a red ribbon on it with a little tag. Done.

All of this I found online here. There are so many great ideas on this site! I also made some fabric boxes and handmade cards for various people but I don't have pics of them. Hey, I can't remember to get everything! I was just happy to get them done and under the tree!

So, I hope you enjoy seeing my handiwork. I was quite proud of each of them and was proud at how much money it saved us. All the fabric was given to me by my grandmother and Daniel's grandmother. Also, everyone really cherished their gifts more because they were handmade.

Apple bread

I made many loafs of Apple Bread this year as presents. I got nothing but compliments. I love this stuff. My grandmother used to make it around Christmastime and my aunt usually makes it for gifts as well. I thought I would share the recipe:

Apple Bread

Ingredients:

3 c flour

2 c sugar

1 c oil

3 eggs, beaten

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla

3 c apples, diced/chopped

1 c nuts (I use walnuts)

Mix sugar, oil and eggs together. Sift flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda together. Mix two together and add the vanilla, apples and nuts.

Put in 2 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

bread thief

One Wednesday afternoon in December, I had fed Charlie lunch and had fixed me a wonderful roast beef sandwich. Charlie was running around playing before his nap time. Now, this was one of those times that we had the good roast beef, sliced fresh from the deli at Publix. We had sourdough bread and all the fixins. Yum! And, as usual, I had to get up in the middle of enjoying my sandwich. Who knows what for. When I came back, this is what I found...

The little bread thief was making his getaway...with a mouth FULL of bread, I might add. He chewed and chewed for a while - probably 15 minutes. He never did finish it. I had to make him spit it out so he could take his nap.

Lesson learned...protect your bread!

tp lock?

Hasn't anyone invented a toilet paper lock yet? Charlie came down the hall one day recently with trails behind him. He was so proud...

I usually can roll it back up but not this time...

crazy kitty

Charlie absolutely loves our cat. He plays and has fun with Khaki, our dog, but when he sees the kitty come out, he just squeals! I think it's because of a few reasons. One, she's more his size and can't barrel over him. :) Two, she stays hidden a good bit so it's a treat if she comes out. She'll only come out if the dog is outside. Charlie will pretty much just follow her around squealing.

We came in from church one night a few weeks ago and found her in the kitchen. I have no clue what was so enticing about that bowl. There was nothing in it. Crazy kitty...

Breakfast with Santa

On Saturday, December 6th, we had Breakfast with Santa at our church. They have this activity for the kids every year and they love it! The morning includes serving breakfast, which is usually just doughnut holes and sausage balls with milk and juice. (We've tried other things in the past like cereal and fruit but it just doesn't get eaten. Go figure.) The kids do some sort of craft and we sing Christmas carols. Then Santa comes in to greet all the kids and spend time with each of them as they take pictures.

Last year, it was fun to introduce Charlie to Santa for the first time. This year was a different story. He didn't just freak out at the sight of him but he wasn't getting anywhere near him without his mama or his daddy with him. But he tends to react this way to most people right now. Charlie did shake his hand which you can see in the pictures. We also took a family picture with Santa since Charlie wouldn't do it by himself.