Wild Safari

Today we went to the wild wilderness safari and had a great time!  Both Tony and I have been anxious for Charlie to be old enough to enjoy all the animals.  It was so fun seeing him get excited.

We visited the kangaroos first.  Charlie loved to pet and wanted to lay his head on them (his way of giving a hug).

Charlie trying to give a hug

A couple weeks ago I had bought whole wheat hot dog buns and I'm sorry but after trying one I decided that when I eat a hot dog it has to be on a white bun!  We've been saving those buns for this and the geese at the pond.  The goats (and Charlie...) were not picky and gobbled them up!

 Charlie getting his fair share...

Charlie started getting a little fussy so we took a petting break and went to the drive through section of the park.  

Charlie was much more interested in driving and running around the car than he was in watching animals.

 So proud to be in the front seat!

We saw zebras, hippos, camels, emus, lions, tigers, alligators, bears...to name a few!

 

After the drive through, we folded the seats down and had lunch in the back of the van.  We got a new car and Charlie's favorite thing now is climbing all over it.  Most expensive toy we'll ever buy :)

After lunch we went back to the petting area to see the rest of the animals...

 baby buffalo

the baby llamas snuck a few licks of both Charlie and I 

Our last stop was to see the monkeys.  I was stressed out with monkeys flying and jumping everywhere but Charlie and daddy had a great time! 

"Chloe" (the monkey, not my sister...love you Chlo) jumped on me and was able to snatch the camera card without me noticing!  Luckily we got it back! 

We had so much fun!  Charlie was exhausted by the time we left.  Half a mile down the road and he was out...

18 Months

Can you believe this little guy is already 18 months?!

Charlie's favorite foods...
peanut butter & jelly sandwiches
yogurt
string cheese
bananas
scrambled eggs

Charlie loves...
playing "chase" or hide & go seek
being outside
finding and carrying sticks
folding his arms for prayer
Jeffrey (his stuffed giraffe)
watching birds and cars out his window
movies--Cars, Peter Pan & 101 Dalmations
wrestling with daddy
helping mommy by putting garbage in the trash can & pushing the laundry baskets
checking the mail
animals
music (especially songs with hand actions) his favorite is "popcorn popping"
going to the park

Fun things about Charlie...
he is between the 10th &25th percentile for weight and in the 5th percentile for heighth
He has one freckle on his ankle
he is a GREAT sleeper
he is sensitive and recognizes when others are sad
When we ask, "where's baby Joey?"  He lays his head on and kisses my tummy
His favorite hiding place is behind the drapes--it's so cute hearing him giggle & seeing his little toes sticking out

We love this little boy!

Going Back

I'm changing my blog back to private.  If you were already on my private blog list don't worry about sending me your e-mail address (I still have those saved).  Otherwise, leave me your e-mail address!

If you blog, add shelovesthecolorpinkupdates.blogspot.com to your blog roll.  That way, you'll know when this blog has been updated!  Thank you!

Happy Easter

Despite the pouring rain, we had a wonderful Easter Sunday! 

Tony should win a husband of the year award every Sunday as he wakes up early to get ready, lets me sleep in, gets Charlie ready and makes breakfast for the family (our church is at 9 AM).  To make Easter special he made a big breakfast, including banana pancakes!  It was a great start to the day. 

Besides being Easter, this was the day we had long awaited for...Charlie's first day of nursery!  We thought this day would never come!  I teach sunbeams and Tony is the financial clerk so Charlie is cooped up in the clerk's office every Sunday.  No, he does NOT enjoy it!  Yesterday Tony was able to finish work for his calling and sit through the entire hour of priesthood.  He came home saying, "I LOVE NURSERY!!!"  Charlie seemed to enjoy it as well and was extra rowdy when we came home :)

We let Charlie go through his Easter basket before we left for church.  It was a quick glance over since we didn't to be in the back of the gym for sacrament meeting!  After church the basket was thoroughly played with and all the candy had a taste.  Charlie went crazy over the candy!  So crazy that I almost lost a finger when I tried to feed him an M&M he had dropped.  I was screaming "ow!" as he had my fingertip clamped down in his front teeth--wow, little kid teeth are sharp!  

 Charlie in his new Cars apron from Grandma

Grandma & papa sent Charlie (and Joey) a special Easter package full of different Cars toys.  Charlie was so excited!  I put most of those goodies in his basket along with a new movie (we need a new disney movie in our rotation!) and some candy. 

 

 After Charlie and mommy's afternoon nap, we all snuggled up to watch Charlie's new movie. 

Later we dyed eggs and poor Charlie was attacked with stickers (from daddy).  He was so confused!

Before bed we had an in house egg hunt.  Charlie was brushed up on his egg finding skills since we had been playing egg hunt almost everyday that week!  After Charlie was down, Tony and I had egg salad sandwiches (what else do you do with a bunch of hard boiled eggs?) and played games. 

All of the things I mentioned above are the commercial side of Easter, but it was also a great day to reflect on the blessings that come from the life of our Savior.  While Tony was hometeaching I was able to read the Easter story in the scriptures.  I'm so thankful for all the blessings that are available to my family through the Savior.

It was a great Easter!

Today.

It was wet and gloomy this morning.  We've been in the middle of quite a few storms lately!  We put on our rainboots and headed outside.  Surprisingly it was almost 70 degrees and humid!  

Are these not the cutest rainboots?

We headed off to the pond to splash in puddles and look for worms.  I'm learning that bugs, dirt, sticks & water are the best entertainment--pretty much everything that is not my first instinct.  I'm going to be a mom to two boys pretty soon so I better get used to it.  Clothes can be washed & bodies can be bathed...

On the way we found a roly poly bug and Charlie laughed hysterically as it crawled all over our hands. 

It ended up in his mouth once.  Luckily I swiped it out before he crunched down...

At the pond we threw sticks in the water and watched the geese.  There are new baby geese now--very exciting :)

Unfortunately the way home was not as picturesque as the way there.  A big pink ball (it was windy remember) came blowing around the street corner and headed straight for the pond.  I caught it and Charlie was so excited!  I felt bad bringing it home but I figured it was better off with us than in the pond.  Maybe we would see the owner on our way? Since the ball was so big, Charlie could only walk a few steps before putting it down.  Instantly the wind would whip it away and I would be off chasing it.   

I was mean and said "mom has to carry it home."  Oh boy, the tantrum began!  Boots flew off, Charlie went limp (his new thing) and I wasn't sure what to do with only two hands and a pregnant stomach.  So with the ball and boots in one hand I had to drag Charlie by his arm back home.  I felt like I needed to be yelling "No, I'm not going to beat him when I get home!  Just teaching him tantrums don't win!" so anyone watching wouldn't think I was the worst mom ever.  It was a long walk of shame!

Video below: proof that he did make it home alive.  Charlie loves music...unfortunately you have to listen to me but his laugh cracks me up.

1st Easter Egg Hunt

 Getting ready to go

 Yesterday we went to an Easter egg hunt and bbq with some friends. 

looking for eggs

Charlie loved his basket but didn't quite get the point of an egg hunt.  Well, I guess he did but his kind of hunt would have lasted hours. Every egg he found he wanted to stop, open it up and then taste whatever candy was there before moving on.  He would have been perfectly happy to stop after he found his first egg. 

The best family picture we got :) 

We had such a great time!  

Happy Birthday Tony

Tony turned the big 2 7 on Saturday!  Unfortunately I gave him an extra gift this year...the stomach flu.  He got it the night before his birthday--poor guy.  Luckily it was just 24 hours but those 24 hours happened to be the 24 hours of his birthday.  Is that bad timing or what?  He spent the day in bed: no special dinner, birthday cake, etc.  Just lots of rest while Charlie and I tried to make him comfortable (by staying out of his way) and ran errands. 
He was feeling better on Sunday and was able to start using his big present this year...

 Grilling up his birthday dinner

I can't tell you how excited I was for him to get a grill!  He has been wanting one for a long time. 

So while his actual birthday was a bust we had a great Sunday together as a family. 

Tony is a wonderful husband and father.  Charlie and I are lucky to have him!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TONY!!!

Spring or Summer?

Yesterday we were outside.  We played with the sprinkler,  shared a popsicle and got sunburns.

Charlie thought the popsicle was the greatest thing ever.  A treat that gives him a stick at the end?  What could be better?!

I don't know if I'm ready for summer.  THIS is my kind of summer and it's only April!

Feeding Charlie & the Geese

 
It has been so warm lately that Charlie and I have been going on walks everyday.  We like to pack bread in the stroller so we can stop by the pond and feed the geese on our way home.

Charlie is the pond's denise the menice.  He laughs his head off while he chases the geese all around.  They waddle as fast as they can, sometimes almost taking off in flight, trying to get away.  Thankfully, he hasn't caught one yet.  I imagine he will get a pretty bad bite if he ever does!

Back off! This is my bread!

He eats 9 out of the ten pieces that I give him.  Something about the pond makes him love wheat bread.  He chomps down like I've never fed him before!  It's a race between him and the geese who can get the bread pieces I throw the fastest. 

I would feel bad but these geese can be pretty feisty and poop all over the sidewalk. So no, I guess I don't feel bad for them.

Beginning of the End

I'm in the first week of my last trimester.  The end is almost here!  I've been consumed with anxiety about having two babies...double stroller? buckling two carseats? two kids in diapers? late night feedings and a busy toddler?  However now my anxiety is replaced with anticipation.  I'm excited to have a newborn.  It helps seeing Charlie become more independent.  He is still so little but he is also very capable.  He listens to me (most of the time), can take things to his room, help clean up and wants so badly to be good.  He is going to be a good big brother.

28 weeks

Have you heard that myth (maybe myth) that if you have heartburn during pregnancy your baby will be born with hair?  I swear I'm not making this up!  Well, I had horrible heartburn with Charlie and he came out with an adult amount of hair on his head. The heartburn hasn't hit yet so we'll see if this myth has any truth or not :)

We are very excited for these last twelve weeks to go by!

Conference Weekend

We had a great conference weekend.  The weather was beautiful and we watched the talks with the windows open and fans on. In between sessions we spent time in the backyard, fed the geese at the pond and went on walks.  The weekend felt so long--in a good way, of course.

I wouldn't say Charlie loved conference.  He couldn't understand why we wouldn't watch Cars instead--his new favorite movie.  He spent the majority of the weekend crawling over Tony and I, playing with toys and hanging out with stuffed animals in his fort.

 Charlie's fort

I'm not sure which talk was my favorite.  I loved Pres. Monson's talk about temple attendance, Elder Cook's talk about strong women in the church...they were all good! I'm excited for the conference Ensign to arrive so I can hear them again.