We're back!

We've arrived back home after being gone for 12 days.....We were in Washington, DC and Fort Collins, CO and had a GREAT time with my family.

We walked tons and tons in Washington, and ate some pretty yummy Mexican food in CO - plus we had a great time staying at Auntie Crystal's!  I have a couple posts coming about our trip half way through.....More will come from the beginning and the end.

Charlie did great!  He slept fairly well the whole time and was a real trooper in the museums and during the 16 hour drive home from Colorado.  We couldn't have asked for a better boy!!!

More to come soon!

Watching Dad carve a pumpkin

Charlie loves to watch what I'm doing in the kitchen.  I had to learn that he would rather see what I am doing than be stuck on the floor.  So when I'm cooking and more recently, baking, I bring over the high chair, plop him down, give him a spatula, and some cheerios, and he is happy as can be.

Doug carved a pumpkin the day before Halloween, so out came the high chair......  Charlie didn't seem too enthused and I know this activity was more for Momma's sake, than Daddy's or Charlies, but I like making memories, so the will be a definite family night activity in the future!

BORING MOMMA!!!!!

Uhhh, Daddy - what is that??

Chewing on the scooper is way more interesting!

Smiles all-round for our pumpkin!

Trains and Trucks

Ok - before I forget - Charlie's first audible word was CLOCK -which happened quite a while ago!  It was the cutest thing ever.....Doug got in on video, but of course, we don't have that downloaded.  Just today, he looked at the clock in his room and said perfectly, CLOCK.  Adorable....

Moving on - he got a fire truck a couple months ago from his Great Uncle.....he LOVES it.  He pushed it around everywhere as it was a good substitute to the chairs he used to push on our floor.  Now he is tall enough to sit on it and his legs are almost long enough to shuffle himself around. 

And for his trains - he has a couple and loves to cart them around.  He also likes to bang them on the floor, so whenever that happens I move him to the tile floor instead of our hardwood :)

Choo - Choo!

Whatcha doin Momma??

I'll show you my train if you show me your camera!!!

Climbing up the stairs!!!!!

Pumpkin Patch!

We did a family day and went to the pumpkin patch.  Charlie was a little skeptical at first but by the end he was having a fun time.  I have realized that he takes time to feel comfortable in new situations, and once he is, he has fun and explores by himself.

Soooo - here are some pictures from the afternoon.  Maybe next year will go a little earlier in the fall.

This was at the very beginning of the afternoon - he wouldn't go in the swing!

Mommy and Charlie picture - doesn't happen too often!

Going down the slide :)

Charlie LOVES animals - definitely a trait from his dad.

The goat tickled Charlie's hand

Thanks for the pumpkin Dad!

Ohhhh - its big and heavy!!!

Family picture!

Look Mom - more pumpkins

Ending our day with a smile!

New words

Charlie has started talking and in an effort to catalog when he says them, I'd though I'd let you know too!!!

His first words were quite a while ago - Dad, cracker, pweeze

Lately - he has come up with broom, pool, cheez, and the best one yet.....coc-a-do-do.  We have the Mooo book that talks about a bunch of animals (there is also the heads book, tails book, and cat book).  Anyway - I finished reading it last night with an energetic Cock-a-doodle-do and Charlie went - coc-a-do-do.  NO JOKE!  I couldn't believe it so I said it again and he said his rendition again!  It was soooo cute and funny.

He wouldn't say it for Doug this morning before he left for work, but when we were reading before nap time - out came the book again and he tried once more to say it.

Its pretty obvious he knows the words of things he loves.  He loves to go to the pool at the hotel.  Even if we aren't going swimming we walk down and take a look.  He loves holding the broom and "helping Mommy"....Although we have more marks on our walls than we do clean floors!  And he loves eating cheese....seriously, LOVES cheese.

That's it - we'll see what he comes up with next!

My little monkey

Sooo....there were quite a few little monkeys I saw yesterday as we went Trick or Treating - but Charlie was the cutest ;)  I'm not the biggest fan of Halloween.....maybe I don't like the scary costumes and the haunted houses, or maybe I just love the other holidays more!  As children, we always went to a festival in our small town (which we loved) and I lived on a farm, so we never had trick or treaters, nor did I go trick or treating.

Taking Charlie was a first - he was a little small, but he was walking (for the first two homes) and having fun.  My arm was sore by the end from carrying him most of the time.  But - we had a great time!!!!  Our neighborhood goes big for this holiday, so it was fun to see everyone out and having fun.

Sitting next to our happy pumpkin

Waving at a car driving by and standing up to see it drive away (tried to capture him quickly while telling doug to stop him from falling!!!)

Walking like a little monkey!

Love the tail!

Playing at the mailbox - which is right beside our house.  He LOVES touching it!