Geocaching, Raspberry Picking, and Camera Breaking Fun

We went Geo caching yesterday. We had an awesome day! It was absolutely beautiful day in the 70's. It really couldn't have been nicer. Well.... I guess it would have been nicer if we came home with a camera that worked....

Charlie hiked up her first hill "mountain" without any help from us. We had to encourage her to keep going a few times when she said it was "so hard". But then, as we got to the top, she didn't even want us to hold her hand. She just kept saying "I'm doing it!!!" She was so proud of herself when we got to the top. And we were so proud of her.

This is the "mountain." It was a pretty decent hike for her little legs!

Charlie and Mommy on the top of her first hike. Wow!! We are pretty high up there! She is holding up the candles she got out of the "treasure." She is going to use them for her birthday cake next week!

We also got one of the first family pictures that we have taken in a long time. Unfortunately it was at the expense of our camera. I am not going to point any fingers....because I have been known to be on completely flat ground, find the only stick on the ground and somehow fall flat on my face....but it was not me that lost my balance and knocked the rock that the camera was precariously balancing on.

Nick was able to "fix" the camera by banging it on the truck, sticking his knife in the lens and forcing it out. He was even able to get it to take pictures and a Video!!

Again...I am not pointing fingers. It could have very well been me that completely smashed the camera that we haven't even had for a year. (Since I may have dropped it at Story Book Island not even 12 hours after I stood in line at 4am the day after Thanksgiving to get it at the lowest price of the year and the lens wouldn't work right after that either) But I don't think there is any coming back from this one. So, Jamie.....if you are out here for Thanksgiving again...get ready to freeze again at 4am....I need a new camera.....with a warranty!

Oh....and we found a TON of wild raspberry bushes (no...I am not going to tell you where.) We got enough to fill almost an entire peanut butter jar! So we had a special treat of fresh raspberries on ice cream when we got home....no...I don't have a picture of it.

And now I will close this rambling mess with a Conversation with Charlie from around 6pm last night after she hiked up the "mountain" and hadn't had a nap all day. Pure exhaustion.

Charlie is sitting on the Potty just sobbing....

Me: Charlie, do you just want to go to bed?

Charlie: Still crying "NO!! I just need a bath!!"

Me: Ok, that is a good idea.

I run the bath and she gets in.

Charlie: Mommy!! It is all wet!!!

Me: Charlie, it is water, it is supposed to be wet!

Charlie: Mommy!! I don't want it to be wet, get the wet out!!

Me: Do you want to get out of the bath?

Charlie: NO!! I want to take a bath...just get the wet out!

Me: I can't get the wet out! Water is wet, Charlie!

Charlie: JUST GET THE WET OUT NOW!!!

I had nothing else to say. I can't even tell you how many times a day Charlie makes me speechless, but this one was something else. There is no talking to an exhausted 3 year old. So I just put some bubbles in the tub and said "there the wet is out" and that was good enough for her.

Central States Fair

We took Charlie to the Central States Fair last weekend. Charlie LOVED it. She got to go on rides with Aspen. We already know that those to are going to be a handful as they grow up. There isn't an ounce of fear between the 2 of them. And all they do is egg each other on. This will be very exciting for us as parents as they get into their teenage years, I am sure.

Anyway....it was awesome to see how much they enjoyed the rides. It was so much fun to see the fair through a child's eyes again.

The best way to end a fantastic night at the fair......Pick a sword fight with a future Sith Lord...

And make him run home to momma! Don't mess with our girls! They pick swords over tiara at the fishing booth. You never know what to expect from them!

Storybook Island

I took Charlie to Storybook Island after her dentist appointment. She had a great time climbing on everything. She is such a monkey. She makes me cringe and gasp and pray she doesn't fall, but I really try to let her just do her thing. I probably will pass out someday and be the one with a head injury instead of her, because I don't breathe until she is on the ground!

1st Trip to the Dentist

I took Charlie to the dentist for the first time last week. It was just a "happy visit" so they don't do a whole lot. I thought they would at least look in her mouth and brush her teeth, but after the gal took Charlie for a ride on the chair and squirted water in her hand, she said we were done and asked if I had any questions.

Now I know that they don't want to scare the kids on their first visit, but I had been prepping Charlie for the past 2 weeks that she needed to be really good when they asked to look in her mouth. So I told the gal that if there were anyway she could at least look in Charlie's mouth that would be great. Otherwise Charlie was going to think I was completely off my rocker and the dentist just gives you a chair ride and a new tooth brush. So luckily she obliged and looked in Charlie's mouth. She was so impressed that Charlie sat nicely with her mouth wide open. Charlie did a great job....as I knew she would.

The before video...I love the way she says dentist...

Charlie listening carefully...

Picking out her new Tigger tooth brush...

Open wide...

Charlie's Dancing Show

Last Monday, Charlie left the TV room where Nick and I were and was gone for a long time. When we called for her she just yelled at us to come there. We were very curious so we followed the sound of her voice. We were very surprised that she has scavenged up some random clothes to put on over the clothes she was already wearing and that she was ready to put on a whole "dancing show" for us! Nick turned on the radio for her and just stopped at the first station that actually had music playing....which explains the very scary music she is dancing too. I think they call this kind of dancing interpretive or maybe contemporary. Either way...it is interesting! :)

'Cause That's What Happens

Charlie loves having a reason for things. She seems to be a pretty logical little kid and wants to know what happens next and why. So I spend a great portion of every day trying to explain things to her in the level of detail she has come to expect. Our conversations go on for a long time and usually ends several minutes later of me finally just saying, because that's what happens....or JUST BECAUSE! You really can only explain something only so much. So now Charlie has started explaining things to me.

Yesterday we had a turkey dinner. She had seconds of Turkey and 3rds of corn. When she was finishing up the last of her corn she said "I am so full of corn....cause that's what happens with corn!"

She wanted me to go faster on the way home last night. I told her I couldn't because I would get a ticket. That made her excited because she associates tickets with the special golden ticket on the Polar Express. I explained the difference between that golden ticket and a speeding ticket for about 20 minutes, trying to emphasize that speeding tickets are bad, but police officers are not bad. Hard concept for an almost 3 year old. She finally said "when I am big and ride a motorcycle (yes...she hasn't forgotten), I am going to go on a train and get a nice ticket and I will share it with the police officer. Cause that is not a mean ticket. And that is what happens with tickets."

And on Saturday....she was supposed to be taking a nap. She kept calling me into the room because she was uncovered and wanted me to tuck her in again. I finally got irritated and said "Charlie just quit wiggling...that is why you are getting uncovered!" She smiles at me and says " 'cause that's what happens with wiggles!"

More Pics from Week with Grandma

Jeannie sent me a few of the pictures that she took while she was here. I love how there is at least part of one of our dogs in each picture! :)

Camping out under the kitchen table with Hannah

Hannah supervising the construction in the sandbox.

Belle leaving. She is still not thrilled with the lack of attention she gets from her Grandma now that there are real grandchildren instead of just grand dogs.

Hannah begging to go on a ride too.

Whew! That was a close one!

Charlie and I ended up driving home in a pretty good thunderstorm last night. Charlie was being VERY dramatic about the whole thing in the car and when we got home. She will tell you the story....kind of. She usually calls lighting,
light mean. Unfortunately for you, she said it while her mouth was covered with the blanket.

Week with Grandma and Cadeance

Grandma Jeannie and Cadeance came out last week. Charlie's daycare was closed for the week, so Grandma came out to watch Charlie for us. She is awesome like that! :)


Charlie had a great time and misses both Grandma and her cousin like crazy. Unfortunately both Charlie and I got a monster cold in the middle of the week so I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked. They played outside a lot and made a lot of projects. We now have a beautiful dragonfly sun catcher in our window that Charlie (Grandma and Mommy) made.


Charlie and Cadeance definitely have some diva in them. Since they are cousins on Nick's side of the family, I am certain it must come from their daddy's. :)

There was a lot of running and dancing in our house. They were playing duck, duck goose in this video. Unfortunately I deleted the wrong video and so all I got was the running.....but just imagine this all day long, all week long. I know Grandma Jeannie had a great time having both of her grand daughters mostly to herself last week, but I would imagine she is also enjoying some peace and quiet now that she is back home! :)

I helped Cadeance perfect her cartwheel while she was here. Yes, I can still to a cartwheel. Amazing, I know. No, I will not post a video of me doing a cartwheel. You will just have to trust me. Nick didn't believe me so I had to show him. He wasn't impressed. But I think he is just jealous that he can't do one. :)

Here is another reason I think Grandma may have been ready to get back home to Papa. I don't think Papa makes her swing him upside down several times a day. But you can see why Charlie has such a great time with her!!!

Thanks so much for everything Jeannie!! We love having you stay with us and we miss you tons.

Super Big Idea

Charlie is sitting on the potty and yells "Mommy!! Come here!!"

I go in to see what she needs.

Charlie: "Mommy!! I have a super big idea!!!"

Me: "Really....what is that?"

Charlie: "Give me that pink comb and I will brush my hair while I go potty!"

What a multi tasker!

Super Big Idea is now Charlie's favorite saying. She says it all the time, especially when she is procrastinating going to sleep. She always has a super big idea of something else she needs before she can go to sleep.

Conversations with Charlie

We were driving into town on Saturday night and Charlie wanted to talk to me and show me things while I was driving. I told her that I couldn't talk because I had to concentrate since there were so many motorcycle's here for the Rally.

So Charlie decided to help me out by letting me know when there was a motorcycle.

Charlie: Motorcycle, Motorcycle, Motorcycle, Motorcycle, Motorcycle, Car, Motorcycle, Motorcycle, Truck, Car, Truck, Motorcycle, Motorcycle, Car, Truck....Can you talk to me know?

Me: What Charlie?

Charlie: When I am older, can I drive a Motorcycle?

I thought I was going to pass out. I am still not really ok with Motorcycles since our minor accident last year. But I didn't think it was worth a fight when she is 2 years old and I have several years to talk her out of it. So I said maybe. While I am not thrilled about her interest in motorcycles, her daddy couldn't be more proud!

Sassy or Sweet

Sassy...

Or Sweet....

I am a little partial to both.