Being a kid

Look Guys, I threw a pile of pillows on the floor so I could climb onto the coffee table!

Charlotte is now a kid, doing kids things. She loves fresh air. She loves running around outside. She loves playing with rocks. She loves when dad comes home from work. She loves when mom has tea parties with her. She loves being chased around the house. She loves to climb. She loves to try and say "I love you" although it doesn't quite sound right. She loves to wave goodbye when dad leaves for work. She loves to climb on moms lap. She loves the playground down the street. She loves her stuffed Cookie Monster and Elmo. She loves to read books. She loves to watch the Wiggles. She loves pushing buttons on remotes.

Watching your child grow up and learn things you teach them right infront of your eyes is an amazing experience. There are no words to express how it makes you feel to be a parent. You could try by using the words Proud, Happy, Enlightened, Fulfilled, but that would only scratch the surface. Those of you with children know what I am talking about. Take all the bad stuff like lack of sleep, temper tantrums, making messes, etc. and they still don't equal all of the great things that happen with children. It has made us closer as spouses and has made us realize how lucky we are to be a family. For that we are thankful and happy for every single day.

We know its bad luck to ever talk about how your children are sleeping. So instead of talking about Charlotte we will talk about us. We as parents have had some great sleep lately. If we wanted to go to bed at 6:30pm like Charlotte, we could literally sleep until 7:00am the next morning. We aren't trying to rub it in for those of you with infants, but we want you to know there is hope and that all of the sleepness nights really make you appreciate the nights when you are well rested.




Getting Charlotte to bed has become sort of a game now. She has nights when she wants to go to bed and other nights when she fights it. Dad says, "Good night Charlotte. Time for sleep" as he puts her into her crib. And one of two things happen. She either grabs her blanket and covers her head and literally zonks out, or she looks at dad shaking her head saying, "No, No, No" then starts crying. This is where the game comes in. Dad will then pretend to put cooking monster to sleep. Feeding him some milk, laying him down next to her, rubbing his belly, saying good night to him. Hoping that Charlotte will get the hint. Or he will lay Charlotte down while she is crying, rub her belly for a minute to calm her down, gently lay the blanket over her eyes, and then run his ass out of the room as fast as he can before she sees him leaving. Such a fun game.

Charlotte is also being taught to run the lawn mower. Dad is hoping she will have it mastered by the middle of the summer. He envisions himself sitting on the deck, watching her mow the lawn, while he sips a lemonade. He can dream.

This lawn mowing thing is fun!
I think I missed a spot. I should go back to mow it again.