Skyping with NanaB

We actually got Petey to sit still for a few minutes while NanaB read a story to the kids over Skype. It didn't last long, but it was cute while it lasted!

Daddy makes a great jungle gym

Madison Avenue

Charlie Jo's buddy, Madison, hung out with us all day last Monday while her mom was busy. I decided that I would pretend to be my mom, who had twin girls and a son about as far apart in age as Charlie Jo and Peter. CJ and Madison were unusually well-behaved, so we had a lot of fun. Peter always tags along on CJ's playdates, so he wasn't fazed by the addition of an extra two-year-old.

I fed the girls lunch on the ground so I could put Petey in his high chair at the same time.



I put Connie in the garage so she wouldn't hassle the girls, but I failed to take into account Peter's newfound mobility after he finished his lunch and was set loose. He made a beeline for Maddie's lunch. She wasn't upset in the least, which I chalk up to her familiarity with being hassled by a brother at mealtime.



Mmmm... CHOCOLATE!



Charlotte and Maddie took turns talking on different phones. They cracked me up passing the phone back and forth. Unfortunately, MY phone was the toy of choice for a while.



Peter showed Maddie some tricks in the kitchen.



At one point, the girls disappeared into CJ's bedroom and put themselves to bed. They were both fake snoring in this picture.



The only thing I was nervous about was remembering to remind Maddie to go to the potty (she is relatively new to being potty trained). Somehow, it all worked out and Maddie ended the day without any accidents! It really renewed my interest in potty training Charlotte. Maddie is a good role model!

Imagination gone wild

Charlotte's imagination is going bonkers lately. She tells us all sorts of stories at bedtime, makes her animal figurines talk to each other, and can amuse herself for long periods of time acting out little rescue stories (a la "Go Diego Go" and "Dora the Explorer"). I especially love it when she decides she's some sort of animal and roams around the house neighing or roaring up a storm.

A few nights ago, CJ decided she was a turtle. This time she had an accessory -- my laundry tote. She crawled around for a while telling us she was a turtle, but since turtles don't really make any cool noises the game got old fast. I was able to get a few shots before the turtle shed its shell.

My Family - by Charlotte, age 2

(From left to right: Daddy, Mommy, Charlotte. Apparently, that's Peter in the upper left-hand corner. Maybe Daddy is carrying him?)

Summer summer summer

Here's a photo that sums up the summer so far:



1. Lots of splashing
2. Lots of fun together
3. Lots of bellowing
4. Lots of mess
5. Nobody really sure what's going on

Like Dan and Alicia said, we have gotten WAY more than our money's worth on that little pool.

A little too close for comfort

The butt of one of Peter's new rompers describes his digestive system a little too accurately...

The many faces of Peter

He is a speed demon crawler, can pull up on just about anything, will mow down anything in his path to get to a chosen object, and cruising (walking while holding on to something) is starting. His new nickname is "Tank" and we're pretty sure he's going to give Charlie Jo a run for her money. His eyes are still blue and they are very expressive. At 8 1/2 months old, he's getting to be quite a little character!

More California fun

Here are some more shots from our two weeks in California:

Back to school and behind the wheel

Charlie Jo started the fall session of her "school" on Monday. I am currently unable to locate my camera battery charger, so I resorted to taking a cell phone picture of Little Miss Thing on the big day.



Meanwhile, Petey and I hit the road so he could practice his driving. Since he's only about as tall as the steering wheel, that's all he gets to handle. Now I just need to convince him not to chew on the steering wheel while driving. Isn't there a law against that?

The Williamson County Fair

On Friday night, we decided to go to the Williamson County Fair.

We first took Charlie to the 4H vegetable display. She was not impressed.

So, we took her to see the critters. "Hi, Donkey!"

"Hi, Chickens!"

Peter was not impressed. If it is not mechanical, he's not interested.

"Hi, Miniature Horse!"

"Hi, Potbellied Pig!"

"Hi, Goats and Sheep!"

So, we headed out to the midway to ride the rides.

We found a ride for people Charlie's size (30" tall to 48" tall). See anything wrong with the rules on this sign? (Seeing as this is a ride for kids.)

Charlie figured out on her own that this ride had a Mustang "like Daddy's," so Niki got her all buckled in.

Ready for the ride to start. Can't you just hear her Mustang rumbling?

Peter was much more interested in the excitement on the midway.

Driving a Mustang is serious business.

And she's off!

Vrooom!

There is nothing cuter... (v. 2)

...than a baby butt.



Oh wait -- maybe there is. A baby AND a toddler butt.



Here's a blast from the past. We snapped this shot when Charlie Jo was six months old.