Charlie's First Golf Lesson

Zoo Fun!

Hello - we have a zoo pass and I have faithfully taken Charlie this late spring with a guest of course.  Auntie Crystal came with us the first time - we had lots of fun.  Since then Charlie can tell us which animals he gets to see at the zoo and he is really starting to understand more of what he is seeing.  Zebras tend to be his favorite - maybe because they look like horses??  There is also an awesome and brand new penguin exhibit, so even though we usually have to wait 15-25 minutes to get in, we still go every time.  Partly because our guest hasn't seen it yet and also because it is pretty cool to be so close to the penguins.  Charlie loves them!!!!

So above and below are a few pics - nothing outstanding....  I was so excited to see the kangaroo and go to the Australia exhibit (as I traveled down under in 2000 and have loved the country ever since).  Unfortunately, they closed the exhibit after 30 years.  I was really disappointed!  So, I had to take a picture with Charlie and the kangaroo - even if there weren't any real kangaroos or koalas!

Food and Kite Fun

Before I show my pictures - I wanted to make sure that I remembered that Charlie has pushed out two of his 2 year molars!  I was doing the bed time routine last week as Daddy wasn't home and sure enough, his two top molars were pushing through and his gums looked a little puffy and sore.  Poor boy - I had no idea again.  The boy is TOUGH!  He'd been a little more cranky for the past few days, but nothing to indicate teeth.  So - that's one update.  The other is I finally gave him a real hair cut!  On Father's day :)  We gave Charlie a sucker and with Daddy's little distractions, I was able to take quite a bit off - so these pictures below are pre-hair cut.  Dad kept on encouraging me to take more off!!!!

On to the pictures - we hadn't had spaghetti in quite a while, so when we did I forgot how colourful Charlie's cheeks become!!!  Hahaha - I couldn't help but break out the camera.  

This is yummy!!!!

Yah Mom, my face is messy!!!!

Grandpa and Grandma M, plus Auntie Crystal bought a kite for Charlie when they were in New Orleans, so when we were visiting G and G, we got it out.  His name is Leo the Lion.  Charlie loved it.  He loved it even more when he got to see planes flying by.  Charlie LOVES planes.  He can spot them from the car and will follow them until he can't see them anymore.  He always says, PLANES, then GAS, GAS.  We have a fisher price airport set and he always fills them up with gas, so he thinks the real planes need gas too.  Super cute.

Backward shot - couldn't get the angle for the kite too

Baby Sholter is Looking Healthy

We had our 19 week ultrasound on Friday.  Here the Dad's aren't allowed to come in until the end, so I had to make small talk with the technician without being able to see the screen.  But once we were allowed to see our little baby, we had such a better explanation than last time with Charlie.  It still is such a miracle seeing our baby for the first time.

Little boy or girl wanted to hide his/her face with their hand - so not the best profile, but pretty good.  Baby Sholter is measuring roughly 13 ounces, which puts my due date earlier than originally planned (which I thought all along), but we'll see if the Doctor changes the date.  I'm still hoping for an early (but healthy) delivery like last time!

So there you have it - our new little precious one.  Picture of me to be coming soon b/c I know people want to see my belly.  I just popped over the past week, so I look very different than what I did two weeks ago!!!

Farm Life

Charlie has finally gotten down to the farm to visit the horses and ride on the tractors.  We didn't take him last summer b/c it is a good 2 hours away and I didn't think he would understand much!  He loved riding the tractors and also the horses...even though he rarely cracked a smile the whole time.  Maybe a little too serious?

We've been down twice in the past two months and the second time he liked it even better.  He got right on the horse and barely had to be asked if he wanted to ride in the tractor with Grandpa.  These pictures are from his first time down.

He gets to sit on his own seat in the bigger tractors and he even got to see the big, big truck.  He talks about tractors and combines, and Grandpa drive.  He saw Berkeley do the unmentionable, which made me leave the barn due to my increased sense of smell - and now he'll say, Berkeley...Pee.....NASTY.  It is hilarious.

We'll be back again soon - definitely for combining season so Charlie can ride with Grandpa.  In the meantime, we'll head to the Calgary Stampede - yup, Charlie can say that too.  Did I mention he is talking all the time - and so, so clearly.

That's the REAL Berkeley!!!

See Mom - Look!

Cracking the smallest of smiles with Auntie Crystal

Checking out Berkeley in his stall

First time in the tractor.

Let's drive, Grandpa!!!

Hey, look at Mom!

Mom - look how big this wheel is - its huge and bigger than me!

Hair Cut and Faces.

Charlie got his first haircut a few weeks ago - from his Mom.  I was a little nervous, but was confident enough to know that I couldn't mess things up too badly.  Plus, his hair is still thin, so I knew if I did something wrong, it wouldn't really show :)

Charlie did not like it - now there wasn't any crying, but just a lot of head moving and neck scrunching :)  I asked myself what this was going to be like once I take the buzzers to his hair :)  It turned out pretty good, but as you can see from the pictures it is still pretty long on top.  So a day later I trimmed the top back again!

Enjoy!  Oh, and Charlie doesn't like getting his picture taken anymore - which is partly why blogging took so long.  He would much rather have the camera in his hands.  So, thus the reason for the crankiness.  Which is still kinda cute!!!

MOM - please, I want to see the camera!

No, I'm not going to smile if I don't get to hold the camera.

NO FAIR!!!!!

In addition to a hair cut, Charlie also started making faces!!!  Check his new face out below.  It is too cute!!!

Classic Charlie face

While Daddy is away

While Doug was on a mission trip to Haiti in April/Easter, we headed to my parent's house for most of his time away.....because really, I wasn't going to stay home by myself for 10 days when my parent's live 50 minutes away.  Charlie was so good for me while Daddy was away.  He went to bed great and slept through all the nights (which he has been doing for quite a while now).  But still, when I'm solely responsible for Charlie during the night, pregnant and tired, the last thing you want to do is get up in the middle of the night and then have to get up in the morning too!!!

Charlie loved playing the piano, playing with different toys and of course, searching for eggs on Sunday afternoon.  He completely understood the concept of the Easter Egg Hunt.....maybe because he has an egg most mornings for breakfast??

Well - we had fun at Grandpa and Grandma's house, but we were so happy when Dad made it home safe and healthy. 

Loving Grandma time

Who decided to put an egg under some dangerous bronzes?

Maybe Auntie Pookie????

The best picture I could get - silly boy doesn't like getting his pictures taken!

Big Brother

That's right - after two months of not posting, so sorry, we are thrilled to announce that Charlie is going to be a big brother!

We were shocked to realize that I was pregnant - seriously shocked, and sometimes still can't believe it.  It wasn't until I started feeling the usual nausea (which for you women out there, came very early), that I realized that I was pregnant.  Things are going as well as last time.  We have the first ultrasound in a couple of weeks , which seems so late as I will be 20 weeks.  We have heard the heart beat once, but apart from that, my medical experience has been very different than the first time.  Less appointments and ultrasounds.

So - that's our big news.  Charlie knows all about where the baby is and he says we are having a girl, but we'll be having to wait until Oct/Nov to find that out!  Anyone think he is right??