Charlie Catch Up...

Charlie is still OBSESSED with Thomas.  He plays trains almost all day, and then he sleeps in his Thomas bed surrounded by Thomas books.  He just can't get enough!

Minnesota Baby.

Charlie frequently does something and then randomly raises his arms and yells "Score!"
He will do well in college...

Charlie loves Dinosaurs.  Not as much as Thomas, but close. The Science Museum certainly helps fill the need...

Note that Kitty is still in constant attendance.  Blanket can be left in the car, but Kitty MUST be near!

Charlie is looking so much older.  He is almost 3!  I registered him for Preschool for the fall the other day and I just couldn't believe it.  This time has gone so fast.  I feel like I just brought him home a few weeks ago! 

Charlie is such a funny little guy.  He is a home body.  He isn't thrilled by leaving the house, and if we take him out it isn't long before he is saying "I want to go home" So unlike the rest of us.  Jason and I love getting out and doing stuff, so it is a new experience for us to deal with a kid who would rather stay home and build a huge train track.  He is always willing to leave the house to go pick up Brother though!  He loves William, copies him, and follows him all day.  They are starting to play together more and more and Charlie's imagination is exploding so that is really helping them connect during play.  Charlie is FINALLY consistently sleeping through the night.  I would never have guessed it would take almost 3 years.  We are all feeling much better around here with some unbroken sleep. Charlie is getting good at recognizing all his shapes, he knows his colors, letters and numbers.  He is really good at counting!  He is still a good eater, and is still mainly a carnivore.  He can kiss so sweetly now, with a real smack!  He loves to read books, and picks the stories at bedtime in such a cute way.  He is not at all interested in potty training, and seems quite disturbed by the idea.  He also has NO interest in moving out of his crib.  He says that he wants to keep sleeping in his crib, so we aren't pushing it.  Maybe this summer...

The Tooth Fairy Cometh....

After much wiggling, William finally lost his first tooth!  January 7th at 7pm.  He was really thrilled and was fascinated by the hole.  We put the tooth in his tooth fairy pillow and in the morning he had 5 golden dollars and a little note!  He has another loose one now, one of the middle top teeth, so I think he is going to end up with a checkerboard effect! I can't believe he is already old enough to lose teeth! 

Winter Blah...

We have been fighting cabin fever in creative ways...Daddy brought home the biggest box we have ever seen! The boys have been using it as a playhouse and decorating it accordingly...

Curled up together watching lots of movies in front of the fire...

There is a bunny who has taken up residence in our bushes out front, the boys love it, and we have become friends with it by feeding it a carrot every day....I will have the best fertilized bushes in the neighborhood come spring!

Starting the New Year Right...

Jason took Will and Charlie to the zoo after Christmas... The Grizzlies seemed to be enjoying the appropriate weather for that fur coat!

Penguins!

Charlie and this white Wolf seemed to have a connection...

We took Molly and Richard to the train museum in St Paul.  It was great!  It has actual train cars, including the old sleeper cars, that you can really go in and see and touch!  That's unlike any other train museum we have been too, including in overseas... Will and Daddy got to sit up in the engine during the train ride!

On New Years Day, the boys headed back to the Science Museum with Aunt Molly and Uncle Richard....

I still haven't been, but the pictures make it look really fun!

Charlie attempts to assemble a dinosaur...

Charlie has been obsessed with coloring and painting, including in some very inappropriate places. Like the couch, walls, floors, and toilet!  I decided to let him to go town with some paint in the tub.  My grout enjoyed it much less than he did...

Charlie loves to apply Blueberry war paint...

The boys have finally decided that the tool bench isn't so bad. 

It came with these neat foam, wood pieces that fit together to make all kinds of stuff.  So fun! 

I got the boys a set of these cardboard blocks to play Angry Birds with.  They are a hit!

The boys got their 2nd Christmas this week when the presents from Grandma Jeanie and Grandpa arrived. 

Charlie loved his Angry Birds!

And his Christmas Thomas Train.  There is still one more box on it's way so I will try and post more pics after they open that one...

Merry Christmas! (In No Particular Order)

Our Tree...So pretty at night against the frosty world out the window...

William decorating his little house...

Jason and I took Charlie out Christmas shopping and out to lunch.  It was nice spending time with our little man!

We took the kids downtown to Holidazzle, and they both begged me for glow wands.  They were pretty neat, and pretty expensive!

The lights were less than impressive, and it was SO cold that by the end of the night it really didn't feel worth it...

Charlie needed a quick pre Christmas trim, and was such a good boy this time!

He looks quite adorable, and older!

Uncle Richard decorated his first Gingerbread house...he was very good at it!

Our Gingerbread Village complete...

The Candlelight service on Christmas Eve was nice, and the kids always love the candles!

After church the present opening commenced!  Will got a spirograph, and we were all happy to see one again...

Charlie got William the Gup F.  He was thrilled!

 

We tried to get a picture of the boys together, a few seconds later they fell over in the rocking chair!

LEGOS!!

Santa brought William the Teenage Mutant Turtle Secret Sewer Lair with all the trimmings...

William was so happy!

When Charlie came down and saw that Santa had left him a tool bench instead of the TMNT set, he was CRUSHED!  Santa Failed this year!

Thankfully Brother was willing to share...

William found a Grinch in his stocking...and loved it!

It wasn't all bad for Charlie, he found Santa had left him some M and M's which he scarfed down before breakfast!

What else is in there Charlie??

New little trains...

Charlie consoled himself with the new trampoline...It's not a bad Christmas after all!