GET OFF OF THERE, YOU LITTLE TWERP!

Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised about this.  As you may recall, Charlotte shared the same tendencies, had a lot to say about how to load a dishwasher, and pulled the same trick at Grandma JoJo and Grandpa Spike's house when she was just about the same age.

Brushing Daddy's Teeth

Every night, we ask Charlotte to brush her own teeth. When she's done brushing, then we "check" her teeth. "Check," as used herein, is defined as "continue to brush."

Charlotte, however, now insists that she get to check my teeth after I brush.


If I do not open my mouth wide enough, then she shows me how.


After she's done checking my teeth, she always tells me I did a good job.

Magnum P.I. is on the case!

A post by Peter, aka Peter Knievel

Woo hoo!  Mom and Dad took me and Charlie Jo to the park after dinner tonight!!  This was the first time I ever climbed up the stairs all by myself.  I'm such a little daredevil.

Check out this HUGE slide!  I'm totally going to conquer it!

(With Daddy's help, of course...)

Zoinks -- that wasn't everything I hoped and dreamed.  Kind of disturbing, actually.

Meanwhile, my looney sister is careening down all sorts of crazy slides.  How does she DO that?

Mom and Dad had the bright idea to have Charlie Jo slide down with me.  I think they hoped some of her sliding prowess would rub off on me.  I knew it was a bogus idea from the start, though.

Yup - just as I suspected.  The ride ended with my legs tangled under CJ's legs.  SO not cool.

But THEN, Mom had a brain flash and taught me to go down backward on my tummy.  I went down over and over and over and over again.  All Daddy had to do was put me back up on the platform and I turned myself around and pushed myself back down without any help from the 'rents.  I must have done it 25 times.  (Somebody remind Mommy to put me in a onesie next time so my bare tummy doesn't stick each time when my shirt rides up as I hurtle down the slide.)

Afterward, I needed a little swing time with my favorite gals.  Even a daredevil such as myself needs some rest and relaxation to end the day.

I fell asleep before I even finished my evening bottle.  Death-defying stunts are hard work for a 10-month-old!

Fall day in the Cannon'hood

You couldn't have asked for better weather than we had yesterday. It was gorgeous, so we took the kids and Connie the dog out to the open space to run/crawl off a little energy. We used the wagon (Corey's Christmas present) to haul all of the essential gear -- two kids, snacks, drinks, and of course, a "kick-kick ball".

Latest celebrity sighting

I totally forgot to write about Charlotte and Peter's latest celebrity sighting.  Charlotte's Auntie Ernie swears Charlotte is a celebrity magnet, and I tend to agree.  Anyway, we were at this indoor play place with the playgroup a few weeks ago and saw supermodel Niki Taylor.  She was there with her cute daughter, with whom Madison got into quite a tussle over a doll.  Niki, in addition to spelling her name the RIGHT way, is quite gorgeous in person.

The tent has been put away for a while

And this is why:

Those little twerps (led by Petey) decided it was fun to scale the OUTSIDE of the tent.  At one point, both of them were on it and I could imagine the tent crying out for help.  I guess this is what having a boy is all about.

My favorite little bubba

Ballerinas or fashionistas?

I have no clue whether Charlotte and her buddy, Madison, understand what a ballerina is.  They sure do love tutus though.

Quick note

I am glad for all the ways Peter is and isn't like his big sister, but my favorite thing of all is an "is".  I love how, just like Charlie Jo did, when Peter is preparing to go backward down the stairs into the bonus room and he turns around waaaaaaaaaay before he even reaches the top of the stairs.  He's practically halfway down the hall and then has to crawl backward almost two yards before he begins his descent.  Every few feet, he turns around to check that he's still on the right path (often he is not and is detouring into the bathroom or down the short hall leading to his room).  I don't know why it makes me so happy, but it does.

Up to his old tricks

What's better than my big sister's toes for dessert?

Nothing!

She begs to differ, but I just keep right on going.

Mom shooed me away out from under the table, so I'll engage in my second-favorite activity -- banging on the trash can like it's a conga drum and bellowing.

Can you blame my mom for not stopping me?  All I have to do is give her a little grin and flash my baby blue eyes and she melts.

Dear Sparty:

My name is Charlotte Stringer. I am 2 and a half years old. I am a big fan of yours, and I hope to meet you some day. Mom and Dad tell me that you are charming and witty, just like me. I know it's too late for my dad, but I hope that my little brother Peter grows up to be as strong and good looking as you.

Saturday will be my little brother's first Michigan State/Michigan game. He's going to love it when we beat Michigan. My dad says that before I was born, Michigan State had actually LOST games to Michigan. I think that's silly. Since I've been born, every time the Spartans play Michigan, we've rung them like a bell.

Anyway, have fun getting ready for Michigan! Saturday's gonna be fun!

Go State!

Love,

Charlotte


P.S. I wish I was old enough for Sparty Watch.


P.P.S. You did a great job against Wisconsin!