This and That

We've been up to a little of this...

and that...

More posts to come soon - think swim lessons, trip to Birmingham/Florence/lake/Grandparents/Atlanta, and a Mr. C update.

Take Two

Well, Father's Day didn't go quite as planned yesterday - broken air conditioner, a hole in our ceiling, no golden hour nap time, and some poor planning on my part...so I thought I would have a do-over Father's Day starting with a shout-out to the best dad ever.  Jacob is so caring and patient with our little ones - from the time he walks in the door until bedtime, he is wrestling, talking, bathing, or reading to them.  He disciplines them so well and shares the Lord with them - through conversation and by example.  I am so proud of him and what he has accomplished...and being a father is at the top of his list.  Thank you for being such a great dad.  Happy Father's Day - Again!

F-Bomb

Coming home from a very fun and relaxing vacation, I couldn't help but to reflect on our little ones.  They have brought so much joy in our lives, and it is hard to remember what our little family was like before babes.   I thought I would give you an update on each (in two separate blog entries) to have for my records and to give you a glimpse into their little personalities.

Frances (or F-Bomb as Jacob has affectionately named her) is so sweet and more than I could ever hope for in a little girl.  Since her only comparison is Big C, I think she is such a girl - from the little smocked dresses she adores to the big polka dot bows, she's is all about being pink.   As much as she loves being a frilly girl with the high heeled shoes and tutus, she does have this fiesty/boyish side.  For instance, she has this crazy obsession with Lightning McQueen (from the movie Cars).  I'm assuming she got this from her brother who has almost every one of Lightning's friends in his collection.  Just the other day, my sweet mother mailed her her very own McQueen and this cute little pink car from the movie.  Frances has been toting them around everywhere since then.

Some of her other loves?  She loves the water which is great for living in hot Charleston - the waves at the beach, the pool, and even just laying down in the bathtub.  She is a little too fearless with slides and water for this cautious mother, but that's okay - she is enjoying life.  She loves pretzels and hummus, pizza, yogurt, and most veggies - not so much a fruit person.  She loves Clifford, books, the color pink, and any type of animal on four legs.  And she loves her naps - a definite plus for me as well.  She has two stuffed animals that she must sleep with - Pig, which she has tugged on so much that she has pulled his curly tail straight, and  Sheep, which is almost as big as she is.  Grandmother and Grandfather gave her them when she was a baby, and she has a strong affection for both.

Another love - anything and everything Charles.  We call her his little shadow - sometimes he loves it (when he wants a buddy) and other times it irritates him (when she's all up in his toys).   She thinks she can do anything he can do from riding a bicycle to sitting on the potty to drinking out of a big boy cup.  I love how much they love to play together and pray this closeness continues this way.  He is very sweet to her and takes care of his little sister.  Just the other day, they held hands in the car all the way to the ice cream store.

She has really exploded in the language department in the past few months. "What is that sound?" and "Hold me" are just a few of her favorite phrases along with tons of other single words such as alright, cry,  and sheep.  She favorite song is Twinkle Twinkle, and she loves doing the hand motions. 

As far as discipline is concerned, she is pretty easy (watch me eat my words).  I don't know if it's a second child thing, a seasoned mom thing, a girl/boy thing or just a Charles/Frances thing, but she has been a fairly obedient child.  I feel she's a little more laid back than Mr. C and probably has learned a lot of obedience and manners just by watching her big brother.

Finally, she has a huge heart for her Daddy.  We think she either calls him Yacob (Jacob) or Daddy-O when she says his name, which is heart melting.  She likes to snuggle with him and blow him kisses when he leaves for work in the morning.  I can't wait for them to go on special dates and really have  that daddy/daughter bond.  Well, that is Frances in a nutshell - a lot of sweet girl to love along with some spunk.  I like it!

School's Out for Summer

Charlie Boy had his last day of school complete with bounce house, pizza, and cotton candy.  He had a wonderful year at Good Shepard, and he graduated to the 3's class.  His favorite part of school is chapel on Wednesdays with Father Shay.  He loves hearing the Bible stories and singing with Ms. Johanna.  I am so happy to have him home this summer to play and go to the beach.  This week we are in swim class, and we go on vacation to Birmingham for a wedding and the lake to visit Jacob's aunt and uncle so stay tuned!

First cotton candy experience

Charles and Mrs. Leah

Yum...

Sweet Julianna (Jacob's sis) came over Saturday night after working several night shifts.  She and Jacob cooked one of the best meals since we've lived in Charleston - stuffed blue crabs - out of this world.  While they were working vigorously for every morsel of crabmeat, I decided to bake a blueberry cobbler with ice cream on the side, of course.  Cheers to seafood in Charleston!

The before shot

And after

Dessert - delicioso