St. Nikolaus Day

This year I goofed on St. Nikolaus Day . . . I spaced on the date and forgot to have the boys put their shoes out on the 5th. Thankfully, Charlie isn't old enough to functionally use a calendar so we just pushed everything back a day.

Here Charlie is with his boot and his wish list




Charlie shows off his clementines the next morning


Owen enjoys his new toothbrush and jar of apples & blueberries, though not in the intended fashion

Ode to Charlie

This week at Target I had to leave the baby section, cross the big scary aisle and go to the BOYS section to buy Charlie pajamas. Sigh. I am not ready for him to be that big, but other signs are emerging that he is officially a big kid:

* He pronounces all of his words correctly. For the longest time, it was 'lellow' instead of yellow, and 'myoo-zyoo-vin' instead of museum (I'll give you $5 if you can correctly pronounce it the wrong way - it's a doozy).

* He mostly calls me mom - as opposed to mommy. I swear, I almost get excited when he gets hurt because he: a) wants to snuggle, and b) calls me mommy. I have decided this is a weird emotionally co-dependent form of Munchausen By Proxy.

* He finds all bathroom humor utterly hilarious. Owen was in the tub with him last night, and near the end of the bath Owen pooped in the tub. Charlie shot out of the water like a bullet, and then spent the next 15 minutes making all manner of poop jokes. [For the first time in my life, I felt the need for a daughter.]

Despite this totally unacceptable maturation, he is a dream boat - expect for when he's being a complete pain the a$$. He is very precise, loves to argue and debate the merits of both opinions (and sometimes facts) and hates to be wrong (my DNA). He can also be very sensitive, particularly where Owen is concerned, and stubborn, and loves to build with Legos (Evan's DNA).

Here are a few recent conversations and offhand comments I've found particularly amusing:

Mom, could you please help me separate this tangerine into individual pieces?

***
C: Mom, how come you're always so tired?
A: Well, because your brother has been waking up a lot at night.
C: It's hard work to take care of a baby!

***
Mom, I'm going to find this Lego piece before you because I'm more better at Legos than you. [pause] I'm sorry I said that, mom.

***
I am always going to live in this house with you guys, even when I am a parent. And Owen will live here, too, and we will always be our family.

***
[while playing a game with Evan] Daddy, let's just get concentrating on what we are doing.

***
C as Lego character #1: Somebody just tooted! Was it me?
C as Lego character #2: Yes.
C as Lego character #1: Excuse me!

***
C: Daddy, I want a Transformer autobot that turns into a dinosaur with spiky feet.
E: Oh, yeah? What kind of dinosaur is that?
C: Oh, just something random I made up.

Wearing Evan's pajamas

Owen's First Snow

This weekend, we got our first snow of the year, a little earlier than usual. The wintry weather inspired us to go get our Christmas tree and break out the cocoa. Grandma & Grandpa were in town for a visit, so Evan and I snuck off for a mini vacation at a hotel.

Delicious!


World's tiniest snowman


Owen's not quite sure what to make of all the fuss


Post-snow hot chocolate


Charlie-sized tree


Reading with Grandpa


Grandma and the boys


The prodigal parents return (note the J in Owen's mouth - this is his favorite new accessory)

In Richmond

Just before Thanksgiving, we traveled to the great state of Virginia to visit our friends Matt & Paula in their new digs. It was a beautiful weekend, and we spent a lovely afternoon wandering around Maymont.

Evan & Paula


Charlie poses in the Japanese Garden


Looking for koi with Matt


Fall color reflection


Charlie shows Owen his leaf bounty

Lollipop Boy

Owen has been having a great time with Charlie's Halloween candy. As soon as Charlie dumps out his pumpkin to sort his candy, Owen makes a beeline for the lollipops . . . one in each hand.

Trick-or-Treat

A few weeks ago I bought Owen a little skeleton outfit for Halloween. As soon as Charlie saw it, he decided he wanted a skeleton costume, too, so they could be the "skeleton brothers." And so they were.



Charlie & Gabe practice trick-or-treating at our house


Owen made the rounds with us for awhile, but was ready for bed before Charlie's pumpkin was full!

Adventures in Wilmington

I had a conference in Wilmington for a few days, which meant Owen needed to tag along for mama's milk. So we twisted Omi's arm to come along and hang out with the boys while I was in meetings. I'm pretty sure they had more fun than I did!

Bathing beauties


Checking out the toys at the children's museum


Dino Dentist


Yummy cupcakes at Hot Pink Cake Stand




Playing at the Railroad Museum




Checking out the amazing snakes at the Serptentarium

State Fair

Nothing says fall like the state fair. And this year we were lucky to have our friends Dave and Marybeth visit so we could take them on a tour of our NC's agricultural and food frying prowess.

Which pumpkin is cuter?


The Great Pumpkin - over 800 pounds!


Charlie posing with Dave and Marybeth


Charlie was decidedly not a fan of milking a cow


We raked up up a fabulous leaf pile that afternoon, and Charlie made himself right at home

Vegas Baby!

It's the year of the O! Our niece, Olivia, was born in July and we finally made our westward to visit the little miss.

Captain Charlie ready for takeoff!


Hanging out with Olivia and Auntie Lauren


A little big for Olivia's bouncy seat


Panning for gold at the museum


Budding paleontologist


Owen loves dogs, and Kozar was no exception


Playing outside


At Red Rock




Playing in the hot tub with Uncle Russell


Sneaking up on Olivia