The tradition continues

Last time Joslyne and I got Zozo and Charlotte together to expose them to high culture (aka a viewing of "Bring It On: All or Nothing"), the girls ended up in goofy outfits. This time, we had a lunch date to introduce Z & CJ to the "Project Runway" season premiere.

Since we fed them spaghetti-ohs in front of the TV, we had to move the rug and strip the girls down to diapers to avoid any marinara-related incidents.




Joslyne and I enjoyed a super-healthy Steak 'n' Shake lunch.



After they ate, both girls needed diaper changes. CJ found her monkey socks in her room and wanted to model them for Zozo. So that Zozo wouldn't feel left out, I grabbed a pair of my socks with kitties on them for her to wear. Zozo was NOT such a fan of the kitty socks, but while I was taking a photo of her before she ripped them off, CJ ran in front of the camera and started posing in her monkey socks. Witness the resulting fashion tragedies:

NanaB, pigtails, and monkey socks

Here are some photos of CJ and NanaB (right before Corey took her to the airport on Sunday), the pigtails I put in CJ's hair before Toddler Time at the library, and the monkey socks NanaB left for CJ to play with after it became clear that CJ had developed a serious affinity for them. One of her pigtails is looking wonky in the last few photos because at some point CJ decided she wanted to pull it out. Luckily, I was able to distract her with lunch before major damage was done to my masterpiece. The last photo is of the aftermath of the pigtails. She looks like Bozo the Clown.

Chillin' out with NanaB

Corey's mom came to visit for the weekend and Charlie Jo rose to the occasion by showing off all her best tricks and talking up a storm.

A friend of NanaB's sent this adorable hat and mittens because the brand was "Charlotte and Friends". CJ spent all weekend putting them on (actually, demanding we put them on her) and taking them off. Over and over and over and over. She didn't quite understand where the thumbs went though.



CJ showed NanaB her mad ice cream cone eating skills. She only dropped it once!



We went to the Nashville Library to check out the children's room and found this sweet little puppet stage. NanaB had to contend with a nosy 4-year-old boy who kept trying to steal her puppet, but she managed to put on a little show for CJ.



NanaB and CJ read some books.



And then CJ discovered the stacks. She could have sat there pulling books off the shelves and "reading" them for hours.



Finally, we were able to pull her away so we could meet Corey for lunch at a cool restaurant called "Past Perfect".



CJ's favorite activity of the weekend was playing with the new water toy NanaB brought her. It's sort of a big inflatable ball to which you hook up a hose. It squirts water out of a few places and amuses CJ to no end. She loved to fill up little bowls and then dump the water on herself or try to feed it to Connie the dog. At one point, she discovered she could open her mouth and drink straight from the streams of water.



The lawn got a good watering (in a concentrated area!) and CJ was soaked from head to toe. We couldn't believe how long the water ball held her interest. On two separate days we were out playing with it for over an hour.



Thanks for coming NanaB! Come back again soon and bring Granddad too!!

Charlotte and Elmo

Charlie Jo's interest in Elmo (from Sesame Street) has been building slowly, but it has recently become a full-blown love affair. I really don't show her a lot of TV (really, Sesame Street is the only kids' show she has watched in its entirety), but Sesame Street has been helping keep her occupied while I shower. She has an Elmo doll and demands that I draw Elmo on her magnetic doodle thingy (I did it a few times, and now she brings it to me demanding "Lalo! Lalo!").

I have seen her feed many of her stuffed animals with the fake baby bottle she has, but today I caught her feeding her Elmo doll (with his lovely gaping mouth) goldfish crackers. It was disgustingly adorable. The only other time we have seen her feed solid food to anyone was when she tried to shove grapes down her cousin Quinn's throat when he was about three months old. She's going to be such a sweet (and dangerous) older sister...

Another Night in the Cannonwood

Interesting night tonight.

First, Niki, Charlie, little Peter-in-the-Belly, and I went to dinner tonight. I put Charlie into her car seat in the Mazda and fired it up, and Niki moved the Mustang out of the way so I could pull the Mazda out of the garage. Niki parked the Mustang, jumped in the little blue station wagon and we headed out for a leisurely dinner. When we pulled back into the garage after dinner and got out of the Mazda, we could hear a motor running and couldn't figure out what it was . . . until I realized that it was the Mustang.

Niki had moved the Mustang (while talking to her sister on the cell phone), gotten out of it, jumped into the Mazda, and LEFT IT IDLING IN THE DRIVEWAY. I can understand leaving the keys in it; I can understand forgetting the parking brake; I can understand leaving the lights on; but leaving it running?!



If we were still living in LA, that baby would have been GONE!

After we settled down and shut the car off, we settled in for drinks in the yard with the Ballentines. We discussed our new neighbor (Brian's mother - Brian and his family swapped houses with his mother). Someone suggested we roll her house to welcome her to the neighborhood. So, we did. Five different families got into the act.

Welcome to the neighborhood!

Kick kick kick

Just felt Peter kick for the first time. Not his first time, of course - Niki's been feeling him kick for a while. This was my first time!

Awesome!

What NOT to nickname your girlfriend

I found out something rather disturbing last night. You see, years and years ago, Corey nicknamed me "Bandit". This was long before we were married. I thought it was cute. I was in his cell phone address book as "Bandit". He really hasn't called me "Bandit" in a long time, but the memory still lingers.

So then, last night, Corey was telling me this story about his girlfriend from high school and part of college (they dated a long time, and apparently she was a very lovely person). He went into this unnecessarily long description of how his girlfriend used to tell her decrepit old dog to go find her cat and hilarity would ensue. Turns out, the elderly dog was named -- yes, you guessed it -- BANDIT.

Um, Corey? You can call me nearly any term of endearment you want, but please please please don't name me after an ex-girlfriend's DOG. The fabulous thing is, he didn't see anything wrong with it.

Okay, I'm done now. Corey, however, will be making it up to me for quite a while.

And even MORE California fun!

The day before we left California, we visited Charlie Jo's Great Aunt Sibyl at the ranch where Sibyl boards her horse, Jazzy. CJ was a natural! Or something like that.

More California fun

I haven't posted all the photos from our California trip yet (I know! You're so excited, aren't you?!?!?), so I'm finally finishing that job. A few days before we left, we headed up the coast to San Luis Obispo to see my Uncle Jerry, Aunt Kim, and cousins Abbey and Cady Lane.

CJ wanted nothing more than to hang out in the hammock swing all day long!



But we convinced her to go swimming at the neighborhood pool, which just so happens to have a horse pen right over the fence. CJ seemed to like this guy, and she even tried to pick his nose!



We tried to put CJ and Cady Lane on that float, but CJ wasn't exactly cooperating.



Dip me in the water again, Abbey!



Cady Lane and CJ took a bath together. Kim & Jerry's bathroom may never be the same.



For some reason, Cady Lane and CJ thought it was hysterical to tickle each other's hands. They're both just a couple of goofballs.



Abbey made us a yummy spaghetti dinner with homemade sauce, then we headed home armed with all sorts of great Elmo DVDs and books handed down from Cady Lane! Thanks everyone!

Big Pete

Dad came through for me! Here's old Big Pete! Note that the sticker on the front tells us that Big Pete was "CB Equipped"!

Charlie Jo Predicts the MSU Football Season

Sonia's interview by Bob Costas was brilliant. So, I decided to shamelessly copy and let Charlotte predict Michigan State's football season this year.

Dad: Michigan State starts the season against Montana State. Do you think we'll start the season with a blow-out win?

Charlie:



Dad: We follow with Central Michigan. Michigan State famously lost two in a row to Central Michigan about 15 years ago. How would you feel if an overconfident Michigan State blew it again?

Charlie:



Dad: I would feel the same way. Will you be excited when Michigan State makes it seven wins in a row at Notre Dame?

Charlie:



Dad: Wisconsin's been tough to beat the past couple years. How do you see this year's game going for the Spartans?

Charlie:



Dad: Can you give us a demonstration, with you playing the part of Michigan State and Quinn playing the part of the Michigan Wolverines, of how seriously Michigan State is going to savage Michigan this year?*

Charlie:



Dad: Are you worried about Illinois this year, particularly after coming off what is sure to be an emotional game against Michigan?

Charlie:



Dad: Will Michigan State demolish Northwestern?

Charlie:



Dad: What if I told you that Michigan State will drop one to Iowa?

Charlie:



Dad: Halloween in Minneapolis at the new stadium? Will the Spartan party be on?

Charlie:



Dad: Michigan State will meet Western Michigan at Ford Field. Show us, with a doll being Western Michigan, what State will do to Western.

Charlie:



Dad: By the time Michigan State and Purdue meet, State will be in top gear again. Will State make monkey-meat out of the Purdue defense?

Charlie:



Dad: As always, Michigan State will end the year against Penn State. How do you feel about ending the regular season on with a guaranteed loss?

Charlie:



Dad: Thank you, Charlie! I can't wait to watch State with you this year!


*Neither Corey, Niki, nor Charlie Jo, through Quinn's playing the part of Michigan in this picture, mean to imply that Quinn, in any way reminds us of, characterizes, or resembles anything associated with the University of Michigan. Quinn is a Spartan through and through and we would never question that. He simply, as a good Spartan and helpful younger cousin, was willing to play the part of Michigan for a picture. Thank you, Quinn.

We've got a name!

Niki and I have decided a name for our boy. It's one we have always liked, and have kept coming back to. So, on this, our 6th Anniversary, Niki and I decided to make it official. Our son's name will be Peter James Stringer. Approved nicknames: P.J., Pete, Petey.

We really like this name. It is formal, and traditional, but can be shortened into any number of good nicknames. Besides, it means "rock", and there are a number of historical/literary/mechanical characters in history with that name, such as:



Peter Gunn - Combined, Niki and I played this song about 1,000 times in our high school pep bands! Now that you have read this, you will have this tune in your head all day. You're welcome!



Peter the Great. Peter the Great has always been one of my favorite historical figures. I have read this book about 15 times . . .



And, who could forget Peter Rabbit?

Finally, I need to post a picture of Big Pete, the plastic rig that Stephanie and I used to ride up and down the driveway! If anyone has one, send it my way!

We can't wait to meet Peter in person!

Corey, Niki, and Charlotte