Let's read a book, please....

Max is proving to be our little reader.  He has a real love for books already, even at 13 months..and not just for chewing on!  He finds the books, toddles to where we are and plops down in our lap for a read.  It's adorable.   And we love it.

Being FOUR is nothing to sneeze at....

Happy 4th Birthday Charlie!  

Amazing to see from the first year until now, 

the smile is still as adorable as ever.

And speaking of sneezes....on this day of turning four, Charlie learned the art of REALLY blowing his nose!!  Seems so trivial but in this family of revolving nose colds, its quite an accompishment.  Charlie is quite proud of himself and his Mom is very pleased as well.

April 21...2005,06,07,08, & 09!

This post is for the Grandmas.  

Four years plus one 'birth' day of photos.  

You find a good egg....

Then its time to sit down and take a load off.  

You can see in the background the egg hunt was still on.   Charlie had a total of THREE eggs in his basket.  And was pleased to sit, enjoy one of his three and watch the other kids scramble for more eggs.

We're getting ready...

Easter's a'comin....and we are EXCITED around here.

Four must be the magic age for anticipation.  

How many days, Mommy???  Every morning.  We are going on hunts around the house for all kinds of things.  This boy is going to be ready for that egg hunt this weekend.

Max clearly doesn't know what hit him.  What's with these crazy people??!!  You think this is bad...Just wait until this weekend, little man.

Strawberries!!!

This post is for the Grandparents....not to interesting otherwise:)

No, this is not the face of happiness to see my Mama.  Its my happy face for the strawberries in her hand....

A walk on the beach....

A match made in heaven...

There are those simple moments in life when everything makes sense.  For me, many times it has nothing to do with an earth shattering event.  I've had a few 'ah ha' moments that have had to do with... of all things.... my favorite flower....lilacs.  

Mom always had them in our house growing up as soon as they were in full blown.   Jeff, the first months of us dating, had them delivered to my college room in the dead of winter.  He called everywhere to find them.  Heading to Mackinaw Island when newly married specifically for the lilac festival....and best of all for me at this stage...a lilac bush literally out my bedroom window.  What a welcome to my California home two years ago...a lilac bush in bloom.  And what a refreshing boost last year with my struggling spirit as a mom of a newborn...my lovely lilac bush.  It has been such a wonderful surprise each spring.  and truly a match made in heaven...each time.

Just humor a sappy mom for a moment please....

I'm a very smell and sound oriented person.  Certain scents take me back to happy or sad times. Certain sounds or songs do the same.  This afternoon Charlie, Max and I sat down to watch a Baby Einstein dvd called World Animals that Max received for his birthday a couple of weeks ago. Charlie & I used to watch this daily when we lived in London.  Because it was a UK dvd we gave our Baby Einstein movies to friends before we moved and have never watched any together here in the US.  

Well.... I was immediately transported back to our London flat with the first sounds of this dvd. Max had very little interest in watching it, so Charlie sat on my lap, like the old days.   We snuggled and I was amazed at this huge almost 4 year old sitting on my lap.  It was quite the teary moment. 

If I could just bottle up those moments forever....

Don't pen me in....

This

has changed my life.

Not sure what took us so long to put up baby gates.  But we finally gated off the front room of our house.  We have some peace in our home that we haven't had in many weeks.  I can now give Charlie the space he needs from Max.   I can actually cook and do laundry without a baby on my hip.  And Max seems to like his alone time playing, 

safely away from his big brother's antics.

The change came none to soon as today Max took his first steps on his own.  Yea!!  

A little Irish, A LOT Ornery....

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Peek-a-boo to you!

Happy Birthday Sweet Max!

Paddington Bear

Reading books on Mama's lap

Playing with your hair while you drink your bottles

3 am cuddles with Mama

Pirate Booty

Hangin in the Ergo

Ear infections, antibiotics and tube surgery

Dada, Mama, uh oh...(sounds more like ho, ho...cute!)

Balls

Waving bye, bye and hello

My sweet second boy.  Wow, you stole my heart from the first moment, really from the first heartbeat.  Second time around a mom knows so much more...how much my heart will be taken, how hard each day and night will be...and how quickly each moment with a sweet baby flies by.   I truly have enjoyed most every 3am wake up call with you...let's keep them coming.  Happy Birthday Sweet Max! 

* I had this post set to 'post' at exactly 3:03am on 3/4/09- the exact time of Max's birth.  First time I realized perhaps there is some heart meaning to why Max always wakes up at 3am for a cuddle.  It was our first introduction time.  Smart lovable boy:)

Sometimes all it takes is.....

A few pieces of cute melamine from Target!!!

One of my very favorite designers Orla Kiely has a new line at Target.  When I saw these without even knowing they were Orla Kiely I  thought...' I HAVE to have those.'  I can count the times on one hand that I've thought that about something.  I generally don't HAVE to have things.  Good thing for Jeff one of the times was at Target with $3.00 plates!  Silly and superficial but they have made me very happy this week!!  

Sooo if you are shopping at Target and see these on clearance...because even $3.00 can add up...be sure to snag a couple for yourself or for your favorite Orla Kiely fan:)

And please ignore the stack of unwashed bottles in the background...I'm much too busy admiring my new plates to wash bottles today!

Charlie & Andrew

So the new thing amongst Charlie's friends is to have drop off play dates.  Pretty fun when you're the one dropping off your son for an hour or so...and pretty fun as well to get to know Charlie's little friends a bit better.  Andrew who is one of a set of twins...(Andrew & Owen...which is kind of like saying Anne of Green Gables.  You have to say both names all the time:) came over to play yesterday.  They had a great time!

A very busy day...

Jeff has been talking with Charlie lately about the idea of 'protecting' his little brother. Honestly in most settings Charlie himself is still Max's biggest danger and so we've been working on helping Charlie see that he needs to be responsible for Max and careful in his actions towards his little brother.   During one of these conversations, Jeff & Charlie were talking about all the things that Charlie was going to teach Max how to do when he got bigger....play soccer, ride his bike, sleep in a big bed, use the potty, eat pizza, on and on.  At the end of the very long list of activities Charlie put his finger on his chin, tilted his head like he always does when he's thinking hard and said...

'Wow, that's going to be a very busy day.'

Every Morning....

Shaving time, it's shaving time....

Some late night company....

Charlie gives Jeff and I the normal bedtime antics....my tummy hurts, my beds not cuddly, I forgot to tell you something...on and on right?!  Jeff's been away for the last 5 nights which seems like forever in Charlie's mind (AND MINE).    So last night when Charlie came out to say 'Where's Daddy?"  I quickly ushered him back to bed.  And then Charlie said "But HE NEEDS TO SLEEP BESIDE YOU!!!"  

I totally agree, little man, but Daddy's in Spain, no chance of that happening tonight...

When I went to bed later that night I found Charlie's friend Mr Teddy Bear waiting for me to snuggle with.  My heart truly got all warm and fuzzy and melted a bit at the idea of my little boy taking care of ME.  So sweet at the end of the day.

Sweet Max

I guess once you have kids the sweetest thing on Valentine's Day is THEM!   (and maybe one of these)  But really nothing is more sweet than the first Valentine's Day with a little boy.  Max had fun sharing Charlie's toy candy box.  They also had lots of fun surprises from Grammy & Grandpa, Mimi & Pop Pop.  The theme seemed to be musical cards which the boys loved!!

When you're feeling blue....

We have been a house of sick boys for several weeks now.  So in between answering to 'Mommy, Mommy, I need.....' or bouncing my 10 month old around the house....I decided to add some color to my life to brighten my day.

A little pink always helps:)  Charlie was happy to comply by picking out this cute place mat & plate at Target.  Along with our shiny red flower on the kitchen window...

And some pretty yellow from our lemon tree out the front door....

Add that to a few open windows on this pretty day....it all makes me just a little bit happy in the blueness of breathing treatments, canceled plans, crappy naps & wiping noses.

History made...

"Barack Obama...He's MY president too!!!"

from the mouth of  3 1/2 year old Charlie at play group this afternoon, talking with his friends Rebecca & Timothy.  Everything must be 'mine too'!!!  At least he got the point of the day...I think.