Halloween... Not His Favorite

Well, we did what we could. Charlie was definitely not a fan of Halloween this year. We got an adorable lion costume from my best friend, but he just wasn't having any of it! We think he didn't like the whisker fuzz tickling his chin. We got a really cool Elmo cookie from the bakery, so we decided to bribe him with it to get a picture (I know, we are horrible parents) . We got one picture, then he started to melt down. He wouldn't eat any more of the cookie.... until we took the costume off. He kept saying "all done" and "out". Maybe next year he'll be more of a fan. He still looked pretty dang cute though!

And.... the meltdown begins.

Enjoying the Elmo cookie after getting out of that horrible costume.

Huh? What Elmo cookie?

Charlie Counting!

We have been trying to work with Charlie on counting. We noticed he would count to three with us when he was sliding down the treadmill, like it was a slide, when Grandpa was visiting in California. I also noticed when I tried to count to three before I would give him a timeout, I would say "1" and he would follow with "2" and a huge smile on his face. Needless to say the punishment counting isn't ready to work yet. We started to notice him saying more numbers as the days went by, and Pete heard him counting as he climbed the stairs the other day. So, we put him on camera to show you how well he is doing! The first two tries aren't the best, but he does real well on the third try! It's so neat to see how much he is picking up and how smart he is becoming!

Making Applesauce

Last weekend we used the apples we got from our orchard adventure to make applesauce. Charlie loves to stand on the chair next to us and help any way he can in the kitchen. I can't wait for him to get a little older and be able to cook and bake more with us!

Charlie and I cutting the apples so we can boil them.

Someone didn't know we weren't supposed to eat the apples we were using!

Helping Dad scoop the smooshy apples into the strainer.

Turning the crank to make applesauce!

Moving Day!

We didn't take too many pictures during moving day, but Grandma Hrodey was able to snap a couple to share. It was a very busy day of keeping inventory of the stuff all the movers brought in. We were all exhausted by the end of the day! A BIG thank you to Pete's parents for all of their help! We didn't realize what the day would entail, so it was nice to have a couple pairs of extra hands to wrangle Charlie, put stuff away, and just be there for moral support!! We still have a ton of boxes everywhere, but we are quickly turning this place into a home!

Charlie and I checking off paperwork to make sure the movers gave us EVERY box that was ours. I was sitting in front of the open door all day, and it was very cold.

Charlie's crib wasn't set up yet, so we had to make due with a portable bed. He slept here for over an hour!

Playing in the Leaves with Drew

We had a great Saturday morning before the Michigan State game when we were in Traverse City. Charlie and Drew were outside with Pete and Aunt Kelly while they were raking some leaves. They loved it! Here are some pics of them playing in the leaves, and one of Charlie helping rake.

Drew is going to the be the Hungry Caterpillar for Halloween. He's wearing his hat that his Grandma Sherry made for him. The cutest caterpillar in the world!

Matt & Gwen

While Charlie and I were in Brighton, we spent a day and night with Dan, Mary, Matt and Gwen. Matt and Charlie had so much fun running around the basement together, playing with toys, and helicoptering their meals into their mouths. Gwen is getting so big! She is the happiest little girl... all smiles all the time! It was so nice to have some one-on-one time with all of them, and we can't wait to spend more time with them now that we live a little closer!

Our adorable niece and nephew, Gwen & Matt. Matt loves being a big brother!

Matt and Charlie posing for Mary. They were so much fun to watch together!

Look at the smile on Gwen's face! Love this pic!

Charlie and Matt watching the garbage truck go by. They had these backpacks with them the entire visit!

Hunting for Pumpkins

When we were in Traverse City for the weekend, we went to the pumpkin patch with the family. It's a nice little place called Hoxie's off of 72 in Williamsburg, and the boys had a blast! We got Charlie a pumpkin to take back to Marquette, and we even got apple cider and apples to make some homemade applesauce. Charlie and Drew loved trouncing through the patch and picking out pumpkins. Charlie's most favorite part though was riding on the tractor out to the patch and spending time on the little tractors back at the barn. I guess he has a whole lot more of Uncle Randy in him than we thought!

Charlie's attempt at picking out his own pumpkin. He wanted to carry it.

This kid loves all scales... except the one at the doctor's office.

Cousin Drew and Aunt Kelly.

Drew liked posing with the pumpkins.

Family shot, but Charlie was too excited to be pulled by the tractor.

I never thought we were going to get the boys off the wagon!

Playing chase with Uncle Mark!

Only the best tractors for Charlie! Miss you Uncle Randy & Auntie Cake!

The boys can almost reach the pedals!

First Boat Ride

We've been waiting and waiting to get to Michigan for Charlie to take his first boat ride in the Whaler. We just kept running out of time when we visited, so we finally got to go for the last ride of the summer! Charlie loved it! The moment we put his life vest on, he was banging his chest and running around the yard with a big smile on his face. He loved being on the boat, and especially driving it. I think we have a boatman on our hands, just like Daddy!

Camp G&G

Wow! It feels like forever since I have updated the blog. So sorry about that, but we have been on the move for the last month! We are finally settled in Marquette, so I am attempting to go back and update the past month.

When we moved from California, Charlie flew home with Grandpa & Grandma Hrodey. We figured that would be better than driving him across the country. He did GREAT on the plane with them, and even better the entire week he spent at Camp G&G. Here are some pictures showing some of the activities he was involved in while at camp. Thanks, Mom & Dad, for taking such good care of our boy while we were making our way back! He's going to have so many good memories from Camp G&G!

Grandpa had their road paved when they were in California, so when they returned home, Charlie got to help fill in the the sides with dirt!

He was a big helper with the shovel. In this picture he's telling everyone what to do.

Grandpa & I in our matching Iceman hats!

Charlie LOVES lawnmowers. He likes to watch people mow, but as you can see, he loves to help even more!

Feeding time at the zoo!

Watching some TV after a nap. Isn't Drew's hair great!