Charlie & "Roxy" Hrodey

I'm Singin' in the Rain . . .

2012-01-28T17:10:00.000-05:00

Charlie got this really cool hand-me-down raincoat from his cousins, JD and Dylan, in California. He LOVES it! He's been wearing it around the house all of the time. Now we just need to wait until Spring for some rain to come... then we can go stomping in the puddles! :)

Bedtime Stories . . .

2012-01-21T11:06:00.001-05:00

This was with the light on.

Charlie and Pete were reading before bed the other night, and when I came upstairs, this is what I found. The lights were off and Charlie had his lantern on for Pete to see the book. It was too cute not to take a picture.

Here's with the light off.

25 Weeks!

2012-01-11T17:25:00.000-05:00

Went to the doctor today. Roxy is doing great! I am measuring right where I should be, and her heartbeat was good and strong. It was a super short visit, like they have all been the last few times, but it's nice to know everything is good. The doctor said I have another appointment in 4 weeks, then I start going every 2 weeks. That was pretty crazy to hear. I have been feeling good, definitely getting a bigger appetite, and we are looking forward to the third trimester!

24 Week Ultrasound . . .

2012-01-03T08:30:00.002-05:00

Roxy giving Charlie a little wave.

This morning we went in for another ultrasound. When we had our 18 week ultrasound, we found out I had placenta previa. It's a condition where the placenta isn't in the correct spot, and if it doesn't move before the last few weeks of pregnancy, it could result in a c-section for the safety of me and the baby. The assured us that many women have it, and that the placenta usually moves as the baby grows. So... the good news is that it is where it is supposed to be now! Woohoo! It was great to see Roxy again, and we even got some neat pictures. Charlie was able to go with us too, so he got to see his baby sister. We think she was waving to him in the picture above. I got back to the doctor next week, so I'll update you more then!

24 weeks!

Fun in the First Snow!

2012-01-01T12:51:00.001-05:00

Charlie and his snowman.

We are supposed to get 6-12 inches of snow in the next 36 hours and it started this morning, so we decided to head outside and play in the fresh snow! We started out by making a snowman, then we got Charlie on his skis, then did a little sledding. The snow was perfect for making a snowman, and we had everything we needed to complete him!
Charlie did SO AWESOME skiing! Grandpa and Grandma got him new skis and boots this year, so this was his first time on them. We figured we'd get him out on the driveway a couple times before we actually took him to Marquette Mountain. He was super excited and had a smile on his face the whole time... even when he fell down in the snow! All he needs to work on is his balance. He tends to lean back instead of forward. We will try again tomorrow, and Pete will put his skis on to make it a little easier. We are so excited that he likes it so much!

A perfect little snowman.

Trying out his skis for the first time!

I think he was having a LITTLE fun!

Racing Payton.

Practicing his balance on his skis.

Dad pulling Charlie through the yard.

My guys enjoying the snow.

Sledding.

This kiddo LOVES to shovel!

Helping Dad put the snowman's nose on.

I finally passed the camera over to Pete for a picture. So glad I did!

Payton's 9th Birthday

2011-12-30T08:24:00.002-05:00

Payton's special dog birthday cake made by Charlie and Mom.

Now I know this blog is about Charlie and Roxy, but I had to make a post about our first born. On Thursday, we celebrated Payton's 9th birthday! It's amazing to think that Pete and I have had him in our life for 9 years. I still remember the first day we got him and brought him home:
We were living in Indiana. Pete and I were both going to grad school, and we had this tiny little house out in the middle of nowhere. Now those of you that know me well, know that I asked for a dog every year for my birthday and Christmas when I was growing up. My parents had two dogs, but losing them was so hard that they didn't want me to have to go through it. Plus, we traveled A LOT, so a dog wasn't the best for our lifestyle. Well, after being in Indiana for 6 months or so, my birthday was starting to approach. Pete decided it was time to get me a puppy. It was March (I remember this because Pete's Uncle Ken & Aunt Linda were coming over to take us out to dinner to celebrate his aunt's birthday), and Pete was looking in the paper for dogs. He just happened to find an ad that talked about 8 week old, AKC Lab puppies that were ready to go. We decided to go check them out. When we got there, we found out that the guy was a hog farmer, and they bred labs on the side. They took us into their garage and there were three puppies left... all black, all male. We went over the check them out. There were two of the puppies that were just jumping all over each other. We decided to check out the one that was just kind of sitting there hanging out (Payton). He was very sweet, snuggled into us, and put on his cute little show. After looking at him, we decided to check out the other two. As we tried, they wouldn't stop jumping on each other to let us check them out. As we struggled to do this, we noticed Payton kept following behind us and just sitting patiently to be given attention again. The owners told us that there was another family pulling up to come look at the puppies, so if we wanted first pick, now was the time. Pete and I decided that the two brothers that were all over each other probably shouldn't be separated... and that they might have way too much energy for us. We decided on Payton because he was so sweet and just followed us around. He snuggled on a blanket on my lap the whole way home, shaking because he was scared and nervous. Right when we pulled in our driveway, he peed all over the blanket. We played with him that afternoon, and then when Pete's aunt and uncle got there, we had to put him in the kennel while we went out to dinner... bad mistake. Poor guy freaked out while we were gone and shredded the cardboard box that was in the kennel with him. He was crying so loud when we got home. For those of you that don't know, Payton's real name is Walter's Sweetness. He was named after the Chicago Bears player, Walter Payton.
The last 9 years with Payton have been the best 9 years I could ask for with my first dog. He's loyal, loving, energetic, snuggly, and just has the best temperament you could ask for. You hear horror stories of puppies as they grow up, and even in their adult years, but we've never had any with Payton. We couldn't have picked a better dog for our family, and we are so lucky to have him in our lives. This is a very special birthday because it is actually our first that we are home with him! In the past, we've usually been traveling around this time, so Payton is usually with Pete's parents. They've been great and celebrated his birthday every year (I think they love him as much as we do!) It was pretty nice to be home and helping him celebrate this year! We love you, Payton! You truly are our best friend, and we look forward to many more wonderful years with you!

Such good buddies... Charlie wanted to eat Payton's cake though. =)

I think he liked the cake... I could barely get this picture. He gulped it down in one bite!

Christmas Morning

2011-12-27T12:21:00.000-05:00

Charlie set out cookies & milk for Santa and carrots & and an apple for the reindeer.

We had a wonderful Christmas morning here at the Hrodey house. We had traveled a lot the week before, so it was nice to settle down in our own house for a couple of days. Charlie was very excited on Christmas Eve. We watched some Christmas movies, set out a snack for Santa & the reindeer, and then we even went outside to see if we could see Santa in the sky. We read Twas the Night Before Christmas, and a couple other Christmas books, then Charlie went right to sleep. He didn't wake up too early, so we did get some good sleep. He was very excited to see the presents. He checked everything out first, and then asked if he could start opening. He ripped through all his presents very quickly, then he wanted us to open everything to play with it. His favorite by far was his new cleaning cart. A friend of mine had it at her house, and Charlie always played with it there, so I thought it would be a good gift. He vacuums every day now! =) The rest of the day was spent just relaxing and enjoying each other's company. We are definitely looking forward to next year when Roxy will be here, and our little family will be complete!

Checking out the stockings.

Dumping out his stocking.

A cool new lantern for camping!

Opening his Matchbox motorcycle toy.

Llama Llama Holiday Drama book.

A very cool Cars book. It's a bunch of little chapters that tell the whole movie!

A new shark towel!

A Cars Aquadoodle.

And his favorite gift... the cleaning trolley!

He loves using the vacuum to clean! If only it was a little more powerful. ;-)

Finishing off the leftover cookie Santa left behind. =)

Week in TC

2011-12-25T20:47:00.000-05:00

Outside the Festival of Trains.

Pete had to go back down and work in Detroit one more week, so Charlie and I decided to stay in Traverse City for the week and spend some time with family. We spent most of the week at Pete's parent's house, then we spent an evening with Mark and Kelly. We did some shopping, went to story hour at the book store, baked cookies, make bird feeders with Grandma, went for a walk & played in the driveway, went to the Festival of Trains, and just spent some quality time with everyone. It was nice to be with them to help the week go by faster while Pete was gone. Unfortunately Grandpa and I ended up getting nasty colds at the end of the stay, but I'm glad it waited until the end. It was a perfect little week before Christmas, and we were home in time to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas day in our own house.

Charlie tickling Drew. These guys had SO much fun together.

The boys getting ready to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas. I asked for a smile... this is what I got.

Throwing rocks in the lake with Grandpa.

Making pine cone bird feeders with Grandma. Someone wanted to eat all the peanut butter!

Heading to see the trains with Grandpa.

Charlie pulling the Thomas the Train horn.

Charlie and Drew riding in the train together.

Seeing what all the buttons do with Grandpa.

Hanging the bird feeders on Charlie and Drew's tree in the yard.

Taking a little stroll with Grandpa.

Riding the scooter in the driveway. This was right before his big wipe-out. He cried... then got right back on!

Mooradian Christmas

2011-12-25T08:21:00.002-05:00

Last weekend we went to Elk Rapids to do our annual Mooradian Christmas celebration. We met at the cottage late Thursday night, and then stayed through Sunday. Friday we woke up early and headed to Avalanche Bay water park at Boyne Mountain. It was perfect because there was nobody there! The boys and Gwen LOVED all the swimming, and they even tackled the water slides! After an exhausting morning swimming, the kiddos napped and then we started the Christmas activities. First the kiddos helped Papa decorate the tree, then We let them open their presents so that they could play with them during the weekend. Charlie definitely knew how to tear open presents this year. =) On Saturday we visited the horses down the street and participated in our annual gingerbread house building contest. Auntie Mary thought a step ahead this year and brought stuff for the kids to make their own. They had so much fun! The adults waited until the kids went to bed to start their competition. We started at 8:30 and didn't finish until 11:30! We definitely need to make it a 2 night activity next year... we were all exhausted.

Overall it was a great little Christmas celebrations. We are so lucky to have the cottage and to be able to have a tradition of celebrating there. A big thank you to my parents for hosting all of us, for all the wonderful gifts and for memories we'll have for a lifetime!

Going to see the horses.

Charlie petting the horse. This was the first time he did! The "little" horse was his favorite.

Helping Dad feed the big horses some apples.

Spreading the frosting on his graham cracker house.

Taking a break from decorating and tasting the frosting.

Mom helping Charlie decorate his little house.

Charlie's finished product!

Pete's and my barn house.

All three houses (we actually had real lights on them this year!)

Helping Papa decorate the tree.

Three excited kiddos ready to open presents!

Charlie tearing into his first box.

Papa and Mimi got Charlie this cool Handy Manny motorized quad. All three of the kids LOVED it!

Gwen and Charlie being Picasso's with Matthew's new easel.

Papa giving Matt and Charlie a horsey ride.

Little Lambs

2011-12-14T18:54:00.000-05:00

Charlie's teacher, Ms. Louise.

For the past six weeks, Charlie and I have been going to a Little Lambs mommy and me preschool class at the Lutheran church in town. It's every Tuesday from 10-11:30. I thought it would be a good way to get him used to school, since this is where he will start attending preschool in the fall. A typical day goes like this:

* 10-10:30: Playtime when we get there.

* 10:30-11: Snack and gym time.

* 11-11:15: Song & story time.

11:15-11:30: Craft time.

It has been so great to see Charlie grow in the six weeks we have been going. In the beginning he was super shy and didn't want to leave my side. Now... he sings all the songs, knows where to go when the activity changes, helps Ms. Louise be the leader, and runs over to the table when it's craft time. We had our last day on Tuesday and he asked if we were going to see Ms. Louise before we left, and then he was talking about some of his classmates after we left. It's been such a great experience, both for him and me! We will continue to go until the fall, and I am hoping by then he'll be ready to push me out the door when I drop him off for preschool (sniff, sniff).

Being the shark in the song Slippery Fish. Charlie grabs his mat right when we walk in the door and sits down in the same spot every time!

Spinning like a helicopter in Ring Around Josie.

Story time (some kiddos have trouble sitting for the entire story ).

Playing the xylophone.

Play-dough time!

Doing a puzzle with Ms. Louise.

Playing bean bag tic-tac-toe.

Charlie and his hand wreath craft for Christmas.

Christmas Celebration at NMU

2011-12-10T12:39:00.004-05:00

On Wednesday NMU's campus had a few Christmas activities that my friend, Shannon, and I took the kiddos to. There was a horse & carriage ride, pictures with Santa, free snacks, hot chocolate and books. The carriage ride was nice because we stayed warm, but it was hard for the kids to enjoy because they couldn't see much. Charlie really liked the horses though. After the horse ride, we checked out Santa. Joe wanted to sit on his lap, but the line was huge (Charlie wanted nothing to do with him). After seeing Santa, we got a free little smoothie, had a cookie, and then picked out a book. After that, we took the kids for some dinner. This was probably a mistake because at that point the sugar had kicked in and the kiddos were wired! It was a nice little evening with Charlie's buddies, and it was nice to fill an evening while Pete was gone!

The horses and carriage.

Charlie, Joe and Anna enjoying the ride.

Charlie and Joe looking out the window, waving to all the students on campus.

Enjoying their smoothies and waiting for a cookie.

Charlie picked out a special Nemo book.

Fun with Lucas!

2011-12-08T13:27:00.002-05:00

The other night we had Lucas over for a couple hours while his mommy went to a meeting. Charlie had SO much fun with him! Most of the time was spent playing hockey throughout the house (Lucas LOVES playing hockey and has been walking around with a stick, hitting a puck, ever since he could walk). They totally look like they were up to no good in the picture above, but they played so well together! Pete is gone for the week, so it was nice to have another kiddo over to give me a break and keep Charlie company. I think it's good experience for Charlie to get used to playing with younger kids too, so then he'll be all set when Roxy comes!

Isn't he the cutest?!?!

Decorating the Tree

2011-12-07T08:34:00.004-05:00

Here's our cute Charlie Brown tree! We definitely had to go easy with the decorating, since there aren't a ton of branches and it isn't the sturdiest. But, it was nice only having to put one strand of lights on! We decided to just put the light ornaments on to save the tree some stress. Charlie LOVED looking at all of the ornaments and putting them on the tree. His favorite was definitely the Kermit the Frog ornament from when Pete was a kid. It was a nice little afternoon decorating, and it made me super excited to go all out next year when Roxy is here to join us and our little family is complete!

Pete putting on his homemade angel.

Charlie hanging the first ornament... Kermit.

Helping Mom with all of the ornaments.

Our little man with his tree!

Hot Chocolate!

2011-12-05T10:48:00.002-05:00

After a cold outing of cutting down our Christmas tree, we headed inside to warm up with some hot chocolate. This was Charlie's first taste, and we consider it a complete success. He took one sip, then another and said, "Mmmmm... I like this hot chocolate!". So starts the tradition of warm hot chocolate after a cold outing in the snow!

Oh, Christmas Tree!

2011-12-04T12:41:00.004-05:00

On Saturday we headed out to our backyard to cut down a Christmas tree. There are a couple areas where three or four trees are growing too close together, so we figured thinning them out would help the other ones grow better. Charlie really enjoyed helping Pete use the saw to cut down the tree. It was a pretty cold day, so we didn't spend too long outside. We definitely have a very "Charlie Brown" looking tree this year, but it smells good and saved us spending money on a tree, so it's perfect!

Scoping out the trees. Which one should we get?

Charlie helping Dad saw the tree down.

Posing with the tree.

Roxy - 20 Weeks

2011-12-03T11:18:00.003-05:00

Here's Roxy and I at 20 weeks! Half way there! I am feeling great, and Roxy is starting to move and shake in my belly! Can't believe we are already half way through the pregnancy, but I know the next 20 weeks are going to feel like they are dragging by. I'm ready to meet my baby girl now!

An Elf Named.... Guido.

2011-11-28T11:59:00.003-05:00

Yes... you read the title right. Our elf on the shelf has been named Guido. First let me say that Pete and I had no hand in coming up with his name. We told Charlie that he needed to name him, so he thought for awhile and then said Santa. We told him maybe he could think of another name... and out came Guido. No... he is not an avid fan of Jersey Shore. Pete actually reminded me that the blue car who changes the wheels on Lightening McQueen in the movie Cars is actually named Guido, so it didn't just come out of left field. Guido it is! This morning is the first day for Guido to be watching over Charlie, and Charlie's pretty excited about it. He keeps pointing at him and saying, "He's here, Mom! It's Guido!" Hopefully he'll become a well-loved Christmas tradition in our house in the years to come!

Jamo and Liam

2011-11-28T11:53:00.002-05:00

We had a nice little visit with Jameson and Liam when we were in town for Thanskgiving. I can't believe how BIG Liam is getting! It really stinks being so far away from my best friend and her kiddos, but I love that fact that the boys all get along so well when they get back together. Hopefully next time we are together there will be two girls in the mix! Christina is due at the beginning of January, and she doesn't know what she is having. We are hoping for a girl since I am having one. We need some girls to help slow these boys down!

THE MUPPETS!

2011-11-28T11:36:00.003-05:00

When we were in Brighton for Thanksgiving, we took Charlie to the movies for the first time to see the new Muppets movie. We found out a long time ago that there was a new movie coming out around Thanksgiving, so the build up for it has been substantial. Charlie has been watching The Muppets Take Manhattan and Muppets from Space for the past year, so he is ALL about the Muppets. Every time we would pass the theater downtown Marquette, Charlie would run up to see the movie poster, and don't even get me started on when he saw the trailers on TV! We just had to keep telling him that when we went to Mimi & Papa's house, we would finally see it.

He was super excited the day before and the morning of the movie (we ended up going Thanksgiving Day morning). We got him his little kid's snack at the theater which included popcorn, gummy bears and a drink. He looked SO cute sitting in the seat munching on his snacks. The entire movie he was pointing out the character and saying there names and giggling, all while having a HUGE smile on his face. Unfortunately, we had a late and wakeful night the night before, so he ended up falling asleep on my lap with about 20 minutes left to go of the movie.

Overall we consider it a great success! He still talks about when we went to see the movie, so it's nice to know he remembers it and that we could probably take him again. It's experiences like these that make me feel like Charlie is growing up WAY too fast. He's becoming this big boy right before my eyes, and it makes me sad that I can't slow it down. On the other hand, it's so nice to be able to do things like going to the movies with him now. I'll keep the memories with me forever!

Waiting for the movie to start with Dad.

Munchin' on his popcorn.

Charlie's First Skis!

2011-11-28T11:29:00.001-05:00

Grandpa and Grandma got Charlie his very first pair of skis and boots this year! We were hoping there would be some snow when they were here so he could try them out in the yard, but we didn't get any. He LOVES them! He knows how to put the boots on and buckle them all by himself; he also likes to stomp around the house in them. =) We are all super excited to get him out on the slopes since he did so well last year. I'm a little sad that I am pregnant and unable to ski with him, but that just means I'll get some really good pictures! A big thanks to Grandpa & Grandma, but I hope you guys are ready!!! I think this one is going to bomb down the hills like I did as a kid!

Charlie's First Deer Camp

2011-11-28T09:49:00.006-05:00

This year for hunting season Pete's dad came up to Marquette to stay with us for the week. It ended up being a VERY busy week for everyone. There was definitely not a lot of down time. Not only did the guys get a lot of hunting in, Charlie got to spend a lot of one-on-one time with his grandpa. They played with play dough a lot, enjoyed a camp tradition of eating powdered sugar donuts, stacked wood, got a muffin at their favorite bakery, and even spent some alone time when Pete and I went to a couple doctor appointments. Every morning Charlie would pop out of bed and ask if Grandpa was up yet, then run downstairs to see. It was so nice for them to be able to spend the week together. Charlie and Grandpa have had a special bond right from the beginning, and I know it will only grow stronger as the years go on. I have to give Pete's dad a HUGE thank you for everything he did around the house. There are a lot of projects that need to be done, but since I'm pregnant I can't help Pete out as much as I am used to. So thank you, Dad, for all of your hard work that week. It's so much easier to get things done when there are two people who can do some heavy lifting! Hopefully you weren't too exhausted from the trip! We love you very much, and look forward to this tradition in the years to come!

Charlie LOVED trying on Grandpa's reading glasses.

A tradition picture... orange hunting hats with powdered sugar donuts.

Reading the magazine like Grandpa would.

Helping the men stack wood.

Taking a break from the hard work so Mom could snap a picture.

Grandpa gave Charlie the small logs to stack. He just had to be involved!

A picture with Daddy's deer.

It's a Girl!

2011-11-18T14:42:00.003-05:00

It's a baby sister for Charlie! We had our 18 week ultrasound today, and she is growing perfectly! We got a couple waves, saw some cute face shots, and even got to see her stretch her little foot out. In true Hrodey baby fashion, we will be calling this little lady Roxy until her name is revealed when she is born. I mean... can you get any better than Rocky and Roxy?!?! We are so excited to get to experience raising both a girl and boy, and we are so blessed to have this little one be a survivor!

First Snow!

2011-11-14T16:38:00.001-05:00

Not the best quality picture, but it shows you Charlie's excitement when he saw the first snow of the year!

A Good Night Sleep

2011-11-09T07:29:00.001-05:00

Here's how you can tell Charlie gets a good night sleep! Guess I need to dry his hair better after his bath at night!

Jack-o-lantern . . .

2011-11-08T15:44:00.003-05:00

This year Charlie was very in to helping Pete carve his pumpkin. He LOVED scooping the guts out with a spoon, but didn't want to use his hands. He helped Pete to draw the face with a marker, and then Pete cut out the pieces. Once we put the candle in he said, "It's a jack-o-lantern!" Such a smart boy! Luckily I got a picture with my phone to send to the grandparents because when I got the camera out, he refused to take a picture. Now on to Thanksgiving!

Halloween... Kind of....

2011-10-31T18:11:00.003-04:00

Well... another Halloween has come... and gone... for Charlie. I am writing this post when we should probably be out trick-or-treating, but as you can see, we are not. It was yet another year of Charlie refusing to wear his costume. He put it on a couple weekends ago, practiced his trick-or-treating with us, and loved every minute of it. But, when it came time to suit up for some festivities on Saturday... it was a BIG, FAT no. I am still trying to figure out how to bribe him to get the costume on for one minute to get a picture because he looks so darn cute in it. Other than the not wearing his costume, we had a fun little day Saturday. We started off at the YMCA with my friend, Shannon, and her kids, Joe and Anna. There were games to play, treats to eat, and even a hayride. Charlie LOVED the hayride and even touched a horse for the very first time! After the YMCA, we went home for a nap and then headed back to Shannon's house to go trick-or-treating downtown. Charlie was very good at going up with his bucket, saying trick-or-treat, and thank you. We walked around for about an hour, and then we headed back to Shannon and Matt's house to hang out. We ended up getting carry out, let the kiddos play, and had some nice adult time with our friends. It was a perfect little day. So, onto next year... maybe we'll the hang of the costume thing then!

They hayride. The horse's name is Who.

Charlie and Anna bobbing for ducks to win candy.

Charlie won a cupcake in the calk walk game!

Trick-or-treating at the bookstore downtown.

Mr. Independent

2011-10-30T12:55:00.003-04:00

Charlie is one of those kids who likes to eat breakfast right away when he wakes up in the morning. His breakfast of choice is usually a bowl of cereal, dry. One morning I was upstairs in the bathroom, for maybe two minutes, which was apparently too long. When I came downstairs, this is what I found. To give him some credit, he did get a bowl and it looks like he really tried to pour the cereal into the bowl... he just poured until the bowl was full.... and the box was empty. It was pretty hard to scold him, but at the same time tell him to stay still so I could take a picture. He just wants to be so independent these days!

Working on the House with Dad

2011-10-30T12:39:00.002-04:00

Every time Pete or I get a tool out to fix something, Charlie always runs to get his tools to help. The other day Pete had to weatherproof our door, and his little helper was right there with him. It was just too cute to not take pictures!

Concentrating on what Dad is doing.

Fixing the doorknob while Dad works on the bottom of the door.

Apples into Sauce

2011-10-25T08:32:00.002-04:00

It's that time of year! We ventured to the Farmer's Market early Saturday morning to get apples to make some applesauce. Charlie really liked turning the crank and smoothing the applesauce out in the pan afterwards. We also made blackberry jam with the berries from our yard, but Pete and I did that while Charlie was sleeping. Good thing too because we made a big enough mess without Charlie being involved!

Charlie's Got Some News!

2011-10-22T17:30:00.000-04:00

Bye Bye, Stitches!

2011-10-22T15:53:00.003-04:00

Charlie got his stitches out this morning! YAHOO!! Hopefully it won't be so itchy any more. I was a little worried about him going back into the emergency room and freaking out, but he was as cool as a cucumber. We went back to a room, and the doctor who did his stitches just happened to be there again, so she came in to check on him. He got a big smile on his face when he saw her and was perfectly fine. She said his cut looked good, gave us some further instructions, and then it was time for the nurse to take the stitches out. He had to lay down on the bed, which he wasn't crazy about, but we pulled Rocky out and he was just fine. He laid there perfectly still as the nurse cut each stitch... we didn't even have to hold him down! When she was done, he had a big smile on his face again, and he waved goodbye to the nurse and doctor.

I couldn't have asked for this whole experience to go better. Charlie took it all so well, considering he's only two-years-old!

The Day After . . .

2011-10-18T22:08:00.002-04:00

Here's our little man the day after his stitches. I looked at his nose this morning and thought it looked pretty good... then I noticed the rest of his face! He's puffed up pretty good, but he's so darn cute! He hasn't been in any pain, which makes me very happy. He still wants to run around, and I am so nervous he is going to face plant again. Oh, well. Boys will be boys, right? His little swollen face is so cute that I couldn't stop giving him kisses today!

First Visit to the ER . . .

2011-10-17T11:18:00.002-04:00

Well.... I knew that I had a very daring, active kid, and I knew that I would eventually end up in the Emergency Room with him... I just didn't think it would be this soon! Charlie got up with Pete this morning (as he does every morning Pete goes to work), and was playing in his room while Pete was getting ready in the bathroom. I was awoken to the sound of a crash and Charlie screaming/crying. As I was getting out of bed, Pete called for me and I met him in the bathroom. As you can imagine, a lot of blood and one freaked out little guy. I quickly changed my clothes, and we were off to the ER. Charlie said something to Pete about jumping off his bed, and we think he lost his footing and hit his nose on the side of his wood toy chest.

He was such a trooper at the ER. The worst part was having to pin him down to do the stitches. I had his legs, Pete had his upper body, the nurse had his head, and the doctor did the stitches. I sobbed through the entire process, but Pete was a rock, encouraging and comforting Charlie through the whole thing. Charlie cried the whole time, but all he wanted was to have his arms out of the blanket and the bright light turned off. Once the doctor was finished, Charlie was in Pete's arms with 5 stitches and a smile on his face. He got stickers from the nurse (even bigger smile), and we were out the door. He was super chatty and happy all the way home. We are snuggled on the couch now and just relaxing.

I always wondered how I would do in a situation like that. I did good with the blood, but hearing my little guy screaming and crying out for people to stop just broke my heart. I am so lucky that Pete was home and that he is such a rock. I know if I was forced to, I could suck it up and be the rock for my son, but it's nice to know he has a daddy who is the absolute best!

Heading home from the ER.

Dan, Mary, Matt & Gwen Visit!

2011-10-16T09:41:00.008-04:00

We were so lucky to have Dan, Mary, Matt and Gwen make the long drive to visit us this weekend. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate, but we made the best of it. They got here Thursday night, and the kiddos were able to play for an hour before they went to bed. We woke up Friday morning, had some breakfast, and then headed to the Children's Museum. We played there for a couple hours, had some lunch, then headed home for naps. Our afternoon was filled with playing in the toy room, coloring, and just enjoying quality cousin time. Sunday morning we tried to go to the rock beach, but it was closed because the wind was so strong and the waves were intense. It was pretty neat to see all the waves crashing on the rocks, and we even saw some crazy guys out in the lake surfing! We decided to head to the Dome to get out of the cold, and we watched some little kids play football and let our kiddos run around. We got sandwiches to take home for lunch so we could watch the Michigan/Michigan State game. The sun came out for a bit after lunch, so we got the kids out in the backyard to play some soccer and enjoy the slide. While the kiddos napped, we cheered Michigan State on to a victory! We ended the day with more playing and had a pizza party for dinner. They got up and left pretty early this morning since they have a long drive home, but hopefully the sun will stay out for them and it will be an easy drive. We are so happy they made the trip up. We know it's a lot for people to make the trek from Detroit, so we really appreciate when they do! It was so great to see how big and talkative Gwen is getting, and Charlie LOVED playing with Matt. We definitely miss being closer to them and wish we could get together more, but the great thing is that when we do get together, it doesn't seem like it has been that long. So, a big thanks to Dan & Mary for coming to visit. We love you all very much, and we can't wait to see you again in a month!!

The first night. Gwen LOVED Payton. Every morning she would wake up saying, "Doggie, doggie".

One of the crazy guys surfing off the banks of Presque Isle.

Cousins painting before dinner.

Gwen's best buddy for the weekend.

Riding the horse.

Enjoying the sunshine with Uncle Pete.

Snuggle time with Mommy.

Dan and Mary got a little competitive in the soccer game.

Gwen's turn to score on Uncle Pete...

... getting close...

... nutmeg!

Goofy boys bouncing on the balls.

And rolling around together.

Charlie loves this orange ball, but it's too big to play with in the house.

Enjoying the slide.

"Ready, Set, Go!"

Uncle Mark's Put Put & Driving

2011-09-23T09:53:00.004-04:00

Charlie loves getting into Uncle Mark's old cars when we visit. Usually Drew is right next to him, but this time he was driving solo. I was able to snap these two cute pictures. It's good to see he has both hands on the wheel in the first picture!

Charlie has become a very active backseat driver these days. He likes to tell Pete and I which way to go in the traffic circle, we scream when we go under a bridge, and he tells us to slow down when we hit the divots in the road. His best contribution is when he shouts at us to stop because the light is red. He also tells us we can go when the light is green. He definitely picked this up from the book Go Dogs Go. Hopefully all this learning will lead to a good driver when he turns 16!

Bath Mohawk

2011-09-21T10:07:00.002-04:00

Charlie's hair got really long again. As you can see from the picture, he got quite a mohawk in the bathtub. Just a fun little picture to share!

Wagon Buddies . . .

2011-09-15T11:00:00.004-04:00

Some of you may remember this picture from WAY back. This was our first photo shoot with the boys that my cousin, Melissa, did for us. You can find her here: http://melissamooradianphotography.com/. I can't believe how little the boys are! It brings back many great memories of them as babies. After we took that picture, we decided that we were going to try and get the same pose of them in the wagon through the years. We tried one time last year, but the boys were having nothing of it. Charlie and I were visiting with Kelly and Drew last week, and Charlie decided to pull the wagon out of the garage. My camera was close by and the boys were cooperating, so we had a little photo shoot! I'm so glad we got the picture. We are really looking forward to the times in the future (teenagers, graduating from high school & college, and maybe even wedding days!) where we can recapture this picture. So, I hope you enjoy the first update, and I'll be sure to keep them coming over the years!

Future Spartan!

2011-09-12T08:07:00.002-04:00

Well, it looks like we may have a future Spartan on our hands! Charlie has been singing the fight song with us for quite some time now, but he won't ever do it with an audience. I was sitting in the kitchen last night, and he was walking around the kitchen singing the song. I asked him if I could video tape him doing it so he could see himself, and he was all about it! I'm so glad I finally got it on video!

Before . . . and After.

2011-09-11T20:24:00.002-04:00

Well.... here are the before and after pictures of Rocky. The first picture is directly from the website where he was purchased. Notice how stuffed he is when you first get him. Ok... are you ready??? Here's the after picture!!!

Needless to say, Rocky has been very loved... and this is his third one! The grey part of the paws (which no longer exist on Charlie's Rocky) are the part he sucked on. They were no longer grey, but a yellowish color. Eventually a hole would start to appear in the paw, and Grandma Hrodey tried her hardest to keep stitching him up for her grandson. Eventually, the holes couldn't be repaired, stuffing would start falling out, or Charlie would pull it out, and now you see the end result. Oh.... Rocky.... how we love thee!

The Adventures of Rocky

2011-09-02T08:15:00.003-04:00

I came upstairs to find Charlie like this the other day, so I just had to get the camera. For those of you who don't know about Rocky (the dog he's sucking on).... here's his story. Rocky was given to Charlie twice when he was born. Mimi (my mom) bought him one, and so did Anna & Jack (Charlie's California cousins). Rocky is a Blah Blah stuffed animal (http://www.blablakids.com/) and we were introduced to these animals when we moved out to California. All the kiddos, Anna, Jack, and JD had one, so when Dylan and Charlie were born, they received one also. Rocky's real name, according to the website, is Licorice, but we thought it might take awhile for Charlie to say that. So, we decided to call him Rocky and keep the tradition going. * Rocky is what we called Charlie while he was in my belly. So, this love filled relationship began very early on with Charlie and Rocky.

At first Rocky just kept Charlie company in bed when he slept. Later on though, we realized that Charlie somehow started sucking on the paws of Rocky for comfort. We didn't think much of it to begin with, expect that Rocky went everywhere with us... no matter the time of day. Flash forward to 2 years later. We have been through 3 Rockys. For those of you who have had the pleasure of meeting Rocky, you know that he is a little... well... for lack of a better word... stinky. Ok, Uncle Mark, he's REALLY stinky. Rocky is pretty much a disgusting stuffed animal dog that no one wants to touch or smell, but he is Charlie's BEST friend.

We are on our last Rocky. Charlie only gets him now when he sleeps... he's not allowed to leave his bed. Breaking him of the habit of taking him everywhere was definitely a process, but we did it. We tried cutting off the paw to get him to stop sucking on it, but he just started on the other paw. A couple nights ago, we heard Charlie crying about 30 minutes after we put him to bed. When we went up to check on him, he had pulled ALL of the stuffing out of Rocky's arm (there was a hole already in the arm). So, Rocky has two knots tied at the armpits to keep the rest of the stuffing from coming out, one arm is a paw-less hanging mess of strings, and the other arm is limp arm with a dangling, chewed up paw on it. So, needless to say, Rocky is coming into his final days. I am half tempted to leave him home when we head down to my parent's place on Sunday and try to kick him of the habit. I still have a couple days to decide.

It's been a great adventure with Rocky, and it saddens me to know that I cannot keep him in Charlie's life. I really wish I could get him to just snuggle Rocky instead of suck on him, but I don't know if that will happen. So, there's the story of Rocky. I will get a before and after picture of him to give you an idea of how "used" he is.

Operator

2011-08-26T11:24:00.002-04:00

Charlie has taken to talking endlessly on the phone during the day. Unfortunately, when it comes to talking for real on the phone, to real people, he shies up and doesn't talk... but he will talk away on his imaginary phone conversations. He usually tells me he's on the phone with Grandpa and Grandma, and the conversation usually sounds like this:

"Hi, Grandpa. Hi, Grandma. Are you there? We go get a muffin tomorrow? Ok. Bye."

Other times, when Pete is traveling, he likes to call Daddy to tell him he loves him. He's also called his buddy, Jameson, to see if he wanted to play tractors, and he wondered where Jameson's brother, Liam, was. I've tried many times to capture his conversations on video, but he stops right when I get the camera fired up. It's too cute!

Harvesting the Garden

2011-08-19T10:40:00.004-04:00

When we got home from Ludington, many things in our garden were ready for us! I took Charlie out with me to see how everything had grown. He really enjoyed picking the green beans with me. He also liked seeing all the veggies starting to grow bigger. We had a ton of green beans to pick so we froze half of them, and we are going to can some dilly beans with the rest. The sugar snap peas are starting to come in, but there aren't as many as I would have hoped for. They are REALLY good though. The tomatoes are all starting to ripen too, but Pete's the only one in our family who eats them =). We've used the cilantro to make a sauce for our fish tacos, and we even made a salad one night with our lettuce we grew! We have zucchini and squash growing like crazy, so we made veggies burritos last night, and I am planning on making a bunch of zucchini bread. A watermelon is starting to grow, and so is a cucumber. I am really hoping our pumpkins start to grow because it would be so much fun for Charlie to grow his own pumpkin (the plants are flowering like crazy, so that's a good sign).

Overall, this garden experience has been great! A whole lot more turned out than we thought would, and it's been a great learning experience. Our corn and peppers didn't do much, so we'll have to change our plan a bit next year. We also planted a little too late, so hopefully we'll have that down next year! I can't wait for Charlie to be able to help more in the future... it seems like he enjoys it already!

Squash

Green Beans

Zucchini

Tomatoes

Sugar Snap Peas

Charlie picking peas.

Proud of his little bucket of peas (he wouldn't eat any though).

Blueberry Picking

2011-08-16T09:52:00.005-04:00

We decided to take the boys blueberry picking one morning when they both were a little finicky. There's a great little spot by the cottage that Pete's grandma used to go to all of the time. We have the best picture of Pete as a kid sitting on the cottage steps with a big bowl of blueberries. Hopefully we can do a matching picture of Charlie when he gets a little older!

Overall, the blueberry picking was a great experience. Drew ate his fair share of blueberries right off the trees, then he became the official "take the bucket to Grandma and dump it in hers" kid. Charlie did great at the beginning picking berries, but lost interest after awhile. He was very good at knowing not to pick the green ones; it started to be his mantra while we were there. We ended up being there for about an hour and got a bucket and a half of blueberries. The blueberries are SOOO good, but unfortunately my son has not eaten one of them. I did freeze some though so I can make him some of his favorite blueberry muffins.

Finding the BIG, blue berries... not the little green ones.

Drew and Aunt Kelly doing their share.

Helping Grandma dump the blueberries into the group bucket.

A quick pose with Grandma.

Starting to lose interest in picking.

The best picture I could get of these two monkeys with the blueberries.

Fishing off the Pier

2011-08-16T09:40:00.006-04:00

One morning we took the boys out to the pier to watch Dad/Uncle Pete fishing. Charlie has his own fishing pole, but really likes to use Daddy's instead. Pete caught a ton of perch, and he even caught one when Drew and Charlie were watching! The biggest hurdle right now with Charlie is that he wants to do everything on his own. He would hold Pete's fishing pole, Pete would try to help him, and he just kept saying, "No! I do it, I do it!" We also got to see the Badger leaving for the morning, and the boys really enjoyed that. It was a good little start to the day!

Getting a lesson from Dad.

Trying it out on his own!

Aunt Kelly, Drew and Uncle Mark joined in the fun.

Charlie watching the Badger leave port.

Charlie got a timeout for throwing one of Daddy's bobbers in the water. I just had to take a picture of the pouty face.

Fun at the Beach!

2011-08-14T12:00:00.006-04:00

We had many fun days at the beach while we were in Ludington. One day there were no waves, the next time the waves were big, and the last time the waves were huge! I had my camera the day the waves were big, and Charlie & Drew had a blast playing in them. Charlie also enjoyed chasing the sea gulls, digging in the sand, and playing in the shallow water. Pete, Mark and I tackled the HUGE waves one day. It was so much fun, but super tiring. The weather was a little overcast, but that was perfect for us. We couldn't have asked for better!

Drew was all smiles the whole time!

Enjoying some down time with Grandma and Aunt Kelly on the beach.

Daddy and Charlie waiting for the big waves...

... Watch out! Here they come!

Playing in the waves with Grandpa.

Baptism Picnic

2011-08-14T11:31:00.006-04:00

After Charlie's baptism, we headed to a gazebo on the lake to have a little picnic. It was right next to the playground, so the kiddos were able to run out some energy after lunch and before bedtime. It turned out to be a great afternoon, and it was nice to celebrate in the beautiful weather with everyone. We even got some good group shots!

Charlie's Baptism

2011-08-13T19:14:00.002-04:00

Our main purpose for our trip to Ludington last week was to finally get Charlie baptized. We had plans to do it much earlier, but unfortunately Pastor Jim's father had a heart attack the day before, so we had to postpone. So, the day finally came when he was 2.5! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day! Pete's parents, Mark, Kelly, & Drew, my parents, Dan, Mary, Matt & Gwen, and Pete's Aunt Carol were all able to make it to Ludington. The church service was in the morning, and Charlie was the only one being baptized. He did awesome! The only funny was when he asked Pastor Jim if he was all done as he was talking to him. It was a wonderful service, and we followed it up with a picnic by Lake Michigan. Charlie is very lucky to have so many people supporting him in his adventure of life. A big thank you to the family for making the trip for Charlie's special day, and an ever bigger thank you to Mary for snapping some pictures for us!

Photo Shoot

2011-08-13T19:05:00.003-04:00

I was playing with my camera one day, so I got some action shots of Charlie playing the Wii and posing a bit. He loves to play the speed slice game on the Wii Fit game. It's so much fun to watch him play!

I just love these pictures of him! They totally capture his personality. I did have to bribe him with a Hershey Kiss to get him to sit still, but it was worth it!

Fun with Chaz

2011-07-28T08:59:00.003-04:00

As part of my birthday present from Pete, I got a new flash for my camera. When I was home in Brighton for a couple weeks, I had my wonderful cousin and amazing photographer, Melissa, show me how to use it. It was a VERY quick session since we were juggling 4 kiddos that were ready for naps, but I think I got the gist of it. I've been snapping some fun pictures of Charlie throughout the day, so I thought I would share a couple of them. The top one is hilarious! Charlie had just gone to the bathroom. He was only wearing underwear and shorts, but when he goes to the bathroom, he has to take them off. So, after he took care of his potties, he decided to run around the house naked. I was in the other room, and Pete called me into the family room. When I came in, this is what I saw! I'm so glad he stayed there for the picture because I think it's pretty dang cute!Charlie is really getting into playing make-believe. He loves his kitchen these days! A BIG special thanks to Alex, Sara, Anna & Jack for lending it to us... it's getting A LOT of use! This particular day, Charlie wanted me to join him at the table to have lunch. He got out all the utensils for us, and then proceeded to serve me. We had quite the variety of foods to choose from! Every time I thought we were ready to eat, he would say, "we need something else" and run back to the fridge for more. It was so much fun playing with him like that. I'm glad I was able to capture the moment in a picture!

Baby/Celebrity Lookalike Contest!

2011-07-26T08:17:00.002-04:00

Go check out Charlie's Baby/Celebrity Lookalike Contest picture! My wonderful cousin, Sara, told me about it and that I should enter Charlie! Make sure you "like" his picture... then we have a chance to win $100!

Thanks, Sara!

Baby/Celebrity Lookalike Contest(!!!) - Mommy Shorts

Family Reunion

2011-07-24T07:07:00.004-04:00

After our visit with Kathy and Randy, Charlie and I headed downstate for our annual Mooradian family reunion. Pete had to travel for work that week, so it worked out well for Charlie and I to travel to see all the family that week too! Charlie and I left Thursday morning with an 8 hour ride ahead of us. I was pretty nervous to do it by myself, but Charlie was a trooper! He slept for 2 hours on the drive through the UP, then we stopped at the bridge and had some lunch at Subway. He ate almost all of his sandwich (that NEVER happens!). My next hope was to make it to Birch Run and stop there. We had to make one emergency bathroom stop, but other than that, we made it to the outlets with no hitches. We walked into a few stores, hit the bathroom, got gas, and then jumped back in the car. We made it home for dinner at my parents, and I truly couldn't have asked for a better road trip from Charlie. I vow I will never do that ride again with just the two of us because I don't think it could ever go as perfect again!

On Friday we met all the cousins and kiddos at a Splash Pad in Farmington. It was such a cool place, and Charlie loved it, of course! After lunch, everyone was dressed and packed to leave, but my son was still in the water! Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures because there were so many kids, and I really had to keep my eye on Charlie. Saturday was the family reunion/birthday party. We all celebrated Grant and Avery's birthday together at David and Andrea's house. It was a SUPER hot day, but luckily they had a nice tent and a ton of water toys for the kids to play in. Charlie had so much fun splashing around with his cousins. He definitely remembered how much he LOVES Anna... he couldn't stop playing with her and definitely kept talking about her days later. She's such a good little helper with him, and you can tell how much she loves him. I really miss having her close by for him =( There are not many pictures from the reunion because it was so hot. We didn't even get a big family picture because the chaos started from the moment we walked in the door!

The rest of the trip was spent with my parents, Dan & Mary, and with my best friend, Christina. We spent some good quality time with everyone, and Charlie enjoyed playing with his cousins and friends. He and Matt are starting to have so much fun when they are together... it's so much fun to watch! Uncle Dan taught Charlie how to play hide 'n' seek while we were there. Matt and Charlie would hide behind the wall while Dan found a hiding spot. Then they would walk together, looking for Dan. He would jump out and grab them to tickle them. Charlie loved every minute of it!

On the way back home, Charlie and I broke up the drive with a stop at Uncle Mark and Aunt Kelly's house. We had dinner there with Grandpa and Grandma, had our usual donuts for breakfast, then headed on our way back home. Overall, it was a great trip, but we were definitely tired after a busy week. It's hard traveling on our own like that, and it really takes a lot out of me being a single parent for that long. We are so happy we were able to see everyone though, and the stress and exhaustion were totally worth it!! We are looking forward to the family reunion next year because we might be traveling somewhere and get to spend the entire weekend with the family! Woohoo!!!

Charlie jumping into the pool to cool off at the party.

Anna helping Charlie "slip 'n' slide".

Spending some quality time with his buddy, Jameson.

Teamwork to ride the bike.

Our nice visit with Tatum, Alex and Reece.

Checking out Papa's motorcycle.

Charlie's night out with Papa and Mimi.

Mimi helped Charlie do all the puzzles.

Charlie's First Camping Trip!

2011-07-18T08:07:00.006-04:00

This past weekend, we went on our first family camping trip to Norway Lake. We joined three other families, people Pete works with, for a wonderful weekend in the wilderness. No phones, no showers, and no electricity! This was Charlie's and Payton's first time out, so I was a little nervous... not to mention it was my first time camping again since I was a kid. We got there on Friday afternoon and set everything up. Even in the first 15 minutes, you could tell Charlie was in his element. There were 4 other boys from ages 4-8 for him to play with, so he was in hog heaven! One of the boys, Ethan, was Charlie's favorite. He always wanted to play with him, and lucky for us, Ethan was a champ. He has a 10-month-old brother, so he's had some practice with little ones. We had some wonderful meals, provided by my wonderful hubby, played at the beach, enjoyed some quality time with new friends, fished, played some Catch Phrase, and just enjoyed being out in nature. It was a pretty hot weekend and Pete had to travel again Monday morning, so we got up Sunday morning and headed home early. I'm glad we did because it ended up being 90 here! It was a great first camping experience for us. Payton got attacked by the horseflies, but that was our only negative part of the weekend! Charlie definitely has his Daddy's blood because he was a natural! Pete knew just what to bring to keep us comfortable and taken care of, so that made all the difference in the world! We are looking forward to our next trip!

Charlie and Pete "cheers-ing" after setting everything up.

Getting the fire ready for dinner.

Enjoying some Cheerios for breakfast.

Dad making some yummy breakfast burritos for breakfast.

Payton making an attempt to hide from the nasty horseflies that loved biting his snout.

Breakfast time!

No one else would take care of me camping as well as my amazing hubby!

Little man and I striking a pose.

Our little family... minus Payton who was hiding.

First time fishing with Daddy!

My little fishermen!

Such a beautiful place! I loved seeing my guys down by the lake like this!

Here is Charlie casting in the water. He had some practice in Papa & Mimi's family room last weekend, but this was his first time actually casting in the lake! He's pretty good already! Definitely has his Daddy's fishing genes!

Kathy & Randy Visit Michigan!

2011-07-12T14:43:00.009-04:00

Reunited! They don't look at all happy to see each other again, do they? =)

We were so excited that Kathy and Randy made their first trip to Michigan... to visit us!!! They've never had a reason to come, so it's nice that they were able to see where our family lives, and to see where Pete and I grew up. It was a crazy, hectic trip, but totally worth it. We started the tour in Traverse City. We spent the first evening having dinner at Pete's parents house and going on a boat ride. The next day we took K&R on a tour of the Michigan cherry orchards (cherry harvesting here is a lot different than California). The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging out in the backyard of the cottage and enjoying the weather and the lake. On Monday we drove them to Marquette for the rest of their stay. We are all pretty wiped out after the drive, so we only made it to dinner, then we headed home for an early bedtime. On Tuesday we took them for a little hike to the rock beach on Presque Isle, had a nice lunch, then hung out at the house that afternoon. Pete made a wonderful white fish dinner, and we watched a little bit of rain come down. On Wednesday, we took the boat ride around Pictured Rocks. Pete and I had to do a few things in the afternoon, so Uncle Randy and Auntie Cake spent time with Charlie and his pool in the backyard. Randy also gave Pete and I some pointers on our garden, and he even helped me clean the whole thing up with my new hula hoe! We stayed up late Wednesday evening packing, and Auntie Cake got to read story after story for Charlie before bedtime. Thursday everyone got up early because we were all leaving town. It was a very emotional good-bye, as they all are, but we made it through it. We are so lucky that K&R made the trip out. They are very dear friends to Pete and I, and their relationship with Charlie is one that will last a lifetime. Charlie is the luckiest little guy to have two such wonderful people in his life! Thanks again, Kathy & Randy, for making the trip out. We hope you enjoyed it as much we did, and we look forward to a visit every summer! =)

A quick shot after coming off the boat.

Stealing some of Uncle Randy's dessert.

Just hangin' with Uncle Randy and Grandpa.

Charlie kept asking to pick the yellow cherries. Pete would stop the car so he could hang out the window to pick them off the trees.

A couple shots in the cherry orchard.

Uncle Randy tasting the Michigan cherries.

Sitting on the "Uncle Randy" tractor.

Daddy used to drive these tractors too!

He tested out every tractor in the orchard!

Checkin' out the equipment.

Helping Uncle Randy throw the BIG rock into the lake.

Throwing rocks at Auntie Cake.

Double knuckles.

My handsome little man.

Enjoying the boat ride with Auntie Cake.

Uncle Randy keeping my boys occupied when they got antsy during dinner.

A little manly bonding time on the hike.

Group shot at the rock beach.

Warming up with Mom and Auntie Cake.

So goofy!

This boy LOVES peaches!

Sharing some with Uncle Randy.

4th of July at the Cottage

2011-07-12T14:29:00.004-04:00

For the 4th this year, we headed down to Traverse City. Kathy and Randy were visiting from California, so we started our tour off there (the pics of their visit will be up next!) Dan, Mary and the kiddos also joined us at Mimi and Papa's cottage for the weekend. As usual, Charlie and Matt had a blast together! They had a pool and a slip 'n' slide in the back yard, and they played outside all day long. The boys even got their first taste of fireworks, thanks to Auntie Mary. Throwing those little popper crackers on the porch was the highlight of their day! It was a beautiful weekend, and we were so lucky to spend it with our family and friends. Here are some pics from the weekend.

Charlie and Matt having a pretzel rod with Papa.

Charlie and Matt bumping bellies.

Hanging out of the dock and using the fishing pole.

Gwen trying to walk to Uncle Pete on the boat.

Wearing Papa's hats.

My cute little man swinging.

Papa and Mimi have a really cool baseball tee... Charlie was really good at hitting the ball!

Special buds.

Father's Day

2011-06-29T13:52:00.004-04:00

Father's Day was super crummy here in Marquette, so we opted to celebrate the weekend after when the weather was better. All Pete wanted to do was go out on the boat with us. It was a beautiful day, so we headed out after Charlie napped. Charlie wasn't a huge fan of his life jacket, but Daddy got him a sucker and he put it on without a fuss! The water was perfect, and we had a nice hour ride. Charlie liked seeing all the sailboats, going faster, and driving the boat (although he just turned to the right the whole time so we did circles).

I try not to get mushy here, but I truly do have the best husband and father for Charlie in the world. I can't imagine a day of my life without Pete. Watching Pete with Charlie day after day just gets better and better. You are the best, Pete! The way you take care of Charlie, Payton, and I is more than we could ask for. Your love and support for our little family is amazing, and we are so lucky to celebrate you on this special day! We love you very much!

Drew & Kelly Visit!

2011-06-25T18:59:00.003-04:00

Since Kelly is out of school now, she and Drew headed up to the UP to spend the week with Charlie and I! Pete was in and out for the week, so it was nice to have their company. Unfortunately, it poured down rain the entire time they were here, but we made the best of it and still had lots of fun. We had a trip to the children's museum, the library, Target, Meisters (the garden store), and we even made it out to the rock beach to throw some rocks in the big lake. Drew and Charlie have so much fun together now. Since we've been back in Michigan, they've spent a lot more time together, so they are becoming the best of buds! They enjoyed breakfast in the morning watching Mickey Mouse, ran around like crazy boys throughout the house, enjoyed baths, and destroying the toy room by pulling out all the toys. It was such a nice week, and we are so happy that Kelly made the 5 hour trip alone with Drew. We definitely know how hard it is in the car for 5 hours with a 2-year-old! =) Thanks again for making the trip up, Kelly & Drew! We miss you guys already and love you very much!

Enjoying a Sesame cupcake! Drew ate all the frosting... Charlie ate the cake!

Fun time on the stairs!

Attempt at a self portrait with the boys.

A break from the rain let us enjoy the rock beach for an hour.

"Do we really have to stop throwing rocks to take a picture?"

Lovin' Aunt Kelly.

Miners Beach with Aunt Kelly & Drew

2011-06-24T11:06:00.005-04:00

Okay... I know, Barbara... I've been horrible at keeping up on the blog. I haven't had the camera out, and we've been way too busy to stop and take pictures. It's no excuse, but I am going to do better!

Memorial Day weekend was spent in Marquette with Pete's parents. Uncle Mark, Aunt Kelly, and Drew were up in Manistique, so Kelly, Drew, Charlie and I met up in Munising for the afternoon to play on the beach and have some lunch. We went to Miners Beach so Kelly could collect some rocks for her garden, but we didn't have any luck finding any. The boys had a blast though! They checked out the water, threw the few rocks we found in the water, and just enjoyed chatting with each other. We had a nice little lunch, then headed back home. Here are some pics from the day!

Such a cute picture of Drew and Kelly.

My little man running on the beach.

Another Camp G&G Stay

2011-06-16T19:05:00.002-04:00

Last week, I went to California to visit my friends for a week. Pete is in the middle of his busy season for work, so Charlie and Payton went to stay with Grandpa and Grandma while Pete was traveling throughout the state. Charlie loves staying at Camp G&G while we are gone... so much that he doesn't even miss us! He got to also spend a lot of time with his cousin Drew because it was the last week of school for Kelly, and Pete's mom was still watching him during the day. Some of the camp activities included throwing rocks in the lake, watching the worker men add an addition onto G&G's house, celebrating his auntie's birthday, playing baseball, having a sleepover with Uncle Mark and Drew, naps in the afternoon with Grandpa, and snuggling in the morning with Grandma. I am sure I am leaving a whole lot out, but they kept him so busy that I can't remember everything! One important milestone was getting the chance to meet Sparty. Uncle Mark was helping out with an MSU golf outing, so he invited Charlie to come with Drew to see Sparty. Charlie loves everything about Sparty in pictures, books, and on TV, but he is NOT a fan of the real Sparty. He wouldn't even go near him! Oh well. It was worth a try. A big, big, BIG thank you to Pete's parents for watching my boys for 10 days. I know it was tiring, but I appreciate it more than you know! It was pretty great to have my little man giving me hugs and kisses all day when I got back. I definitely missed my boys!

An attempt to meet Sparty . . .

He even played peek-a-boo, but that didn't help.

Charlie was OK posing by the inflatable Sparty with Uncle Mark.

Taking a break from playing and enjoying a snack.

Rough riders.... Charlie loves going down the driveway full speed!

Mimi, Papa and Rocks

2011-05-30T21:03:00.003-04:00

Mimi and Papa came to visit a few weeks ago. It was one of the first nice weekends in Marquette, so we spent a lot of time outside in the backyard and at the lake. We were able to sit outside and have dinner on the patio of La'Attitude (a restaurant downtown), and then we took them to see the rock beach. Charlie LOVES this place because there is an endless supply of rocks for him to throw into the lake. We got ice cream, played with new toys Papa and Mimi got, went swimming in the pool at their hotel, and just enjoyed some good family time. Charlie woke up for several days after they left asking if we were going to see them, so I know he enjoyed his time! Thanks for everything, Mom and Dad!! Can't wait for the next visit!!

Hiding in the hole with Dad.

Showing Papa how to throw rocks.

Porcupine Mountains & Daddy's Birthday

2011-05-26T12:03:00.006-04:00

We had a busy couple of weeks surrounding Pete's birthday. We spent the week in Ludington because Pete had to do some work there. Pete's parents came down and brought Pete's favorite cake that he's had every year for his birthday. Charlie REALLY liked the cake... so much that he was up all night!! There's nothing like Daddy and him watching Mickey Mouse at 2:30 in the morning.
We came home for a night, then we headed to Pete's surprise birthday weekend in the Porcupine Mountains. We stayed at a quaint little hotel, enjoyed some hiking & fishing in the park, made a visit to Lake of the Clouds, threw some rocks in the big lake, and just enjoyed being outside together in such a beautiful place. The rain came Saturday afternoon, so we headed out early Sunday morning to get back to the house and get some stuff done. It was a great little weekend together to celebrate 30 years of the most amazing husband and father in the world! Happy Birthday, Pete! We love you so much!

Lounging on the recliner at the cottage.

Trying to get a better look at Lake of the Clouds.

Ahhhhh . . . there it is.

My boys.

Our little Cheetos lover. I couldn't wake him up from his deep slumber, so I opened the bag of Cheetos and he popped up, grabbed the bag from me, and gave me the biggest smile!

Doing some fishing.

Getting pointers from Dad.

Run-off from the falls.

Celebrating that we threw a rock through the hole of a bigger rock.

Posing in front of Manido Falls.

Charlie posing with the porcupine.

The Circus!

2011-05-14T17:20:00.004-04:00

Last week the circus came to town. Charlie and I met up with our friends to see the show. This was Charlie's first circus experience, so I was a little nervous. When we got there, all the clowns were standing outside to greet us. Charlie was NOT a fan (his dad is scared of clowns too!). I had to carry him in, and he didn't want to look at or talk to any of them. Once we got inside, you could ride on ponies, a camel, or an elephant. Charlie loves horses and was super excited to see them. I asked him if he wanted to ride, and he said "YES" in a super excited voice. I thought we might be in luck since they were ponies and a lot smaller than horses. I tried putting him on, but he freaked out. No luck.

Once the show started, Charlie's eyes were wide the entire time. He clapped, danced, chatted through the entire show, and he absolutely LOVED it! We were worried the kiddos wouldn't be able to make it the the whole two hours, but they did (with a little help from some snacks =) ). Charlie's favorites were the horse and the elephants. He even took a toy fish from one of the clowns on our way out! It was a great success, and I look forward to taking him again!!

One of the many treats throughout the show.

The tigers jumping through the ring of fire.

Charlie's first cotton candy with his buddy, Joe.

The man put on a little show with the horse. Charlie liked this show.

The man who juggled fire.

The elephants going to sleep.

The end of the elephant show.

Mother's Day Weekend

2011-05-12T07:42:00.000-04:00

Mother's Day weekend was great! Our good friends, Pete, Liz, their daughter, Brooklyn, and their two dogs, Tatum & Logan, came to visit for a few days. We stayed up late Friday night to wait for them, and of course Charlie was up early Saturday morning. The guys went fishing for the day while Liz & I stayed home with the kiddos and dogs. It was a beautiful weekend, so we spent a lot of it outside in the backyard. We threw the ball for the dogs, went on a hike through the woods, and played with some toys. The guys were back for dinner so we grilled some hamburgers.

On Sunday, we headed out early for breakfast at the Huron Mountain Bread Co. We then headed to Sugar Loaf to do a little hike to the top to see a great view of Marquette. It was again a beautiful day, and Charlie loved hiking! He walked the entire way by himself, looking for rocks along the way. There are a lot of big rocks and tree roots along the trail, so Charlie enjoyed climbing, jumping and running. After our climb, both kiddos fell asleep in the car, so the guys let Liz and I walk through Target while they stayed in the car. After that we headed to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch (this is a tradition we have with the Millers, so we figured we'd stick with it!) We headed back to the house after lunch, and Brooklyn and Liz took a little snooze. Charlie had no interest in going back to sleep, so we set up the water table for him and the rest of the us sat out on the porch getting some sun and drinking strawberry daiquiris. When Liz and Brooklyn woke up, the guys started on our Mother's Day dinner. They made Mojito chicken, asparagus, salad, and garlic bread. We enjoyed a nice dinner, then the guys headed out to fish again. Liz and I gave the kiddos a bath and put them to bed. After that, we poured ourselves a drink and watched Sex in the City 2.

It was a great Mother's Day weekend. I consider myself the luckiest mom in the world because I could not ask for a better son. These past two years with Charlie have been amazing, and it just keeps getting more exciting every day! I look forward to many more years of celebrating being his mommy!

The dogs (Logan, Tatum, Payton) waiting for the ball to be thrown.

Charlie giving Brooklyn some love.

At the top of the Sugar Loaf hike.

My little man posing for a Mother's Day pic with me.

Who could ask for a better family?

A quick self portrait with the lake in the background.

I think someone is going to love camping this summer! My little outdoors-man.

And . . . my first son. The best pup in the world!

Museum with Joe & Anna

2011-05-02T08:26:00.004-04:00

Every now and then when the weather doesn't cooperate, we head to the Children's Museum with Charlie's good friends, Joe and Anna. I brought my camera with on this occasion to try and snap some shots, but the lighting in the museum is really dark, so I didn't get too many. Joe is 3 and Anna is almost 2, so Charlie has so much fun with the both of them. I tried to get a good picture of the three of them together, but this one is the best I could get. It's hard to get the attention of three kiddos!

Charlie likes driving the big construction truck.

All three of them worked together to send the apples up the conveyor belt to the apple tree.

I just LOVE this picture of Anna. "Get out of my way, lady, or I'll run you over!"

Joe and Charlie were working the cash register as my friend, Shannon, checked out with her groceries.

Just a fun pic of Joe.

Riding the penny horse.

Easter

2011-04-30T08:53:00.006-04:00

For Easter this year Pete's parents, Mark, Kelly, and Drew all came to Marquette for the weekend. It was a dual occasion . . . celebrate Easter and have a bunch of people to do house projects! Mark, Kelly and Drew came on Friday morning, so we had the whole day for the boys to play outside together. Pete's parents came later in the afternoon, so when Pete got home from work we played more outside and then ordered some pizza for dinner. We ended up celebrating Easter on Saturday morning because Mark, Kelly, and Drew were leaving Saturday night. Charlie LOVED everything about the Easter Bunny coming! We left him some carrots, and Charlie told me that he would want a Coke to drink, so I think we started a new Easter tradition! When he woke up in the morning, he noticed the trail off eggs leading from his door right away. He grabbed his basket, ate the first egg, then proceeded to collect the rest of the trail in his basket. He was very excited to find his big Easter basket, and I think we've created a monster when it comes to peanut butter filled chocolate eggs! While the boys were napping, we hid a bunch of eggs around the house (we woke up with 3 inches of snow on the ground, so there was no egg hunt outside). Charlie loved gathering all the eggs too! I was so happy to see he enjoyed it so much. Holidays are just going to get more and more fun with him!

The rest of the day consisted of house projects, playing indoors, and having a yummy Easter dinner. The boys were very productive with everything they did: porch railings, installed baby gate, put up gutters, put together IKEA furniture, cleaned/organized the garage, finished painting the kitchen and dining room, and some other little things. It was a great Easter weekend with the family, and a big thanks to everyone for all of their help around the house! It's starting to finally feel like we are getting settled!!

Charlie on his Easter egg hunt.

Charlie and Drew after they gathered their Easter eggs.

Our traditional Egg Fight!

Charlie's first ever Egg Fight with Aunt Kelly! She was the big winner of the day!

Great picture of my favorite mother-in-law and one of the two best sister-in-laws a girl could ask for!

Charlie using his batting tee from Dennis and Melissa for the first time!

The boys definitely needed a bath at the end of the day!

Charlie enjoys bathing Pat too!

Ice Cream!!!!

2011-04-30T08:36:00.002-04:00

Easter weekend had some real nice days to go along with it, so we decided to take advantage of the ice cream stores being open! We tried taking the boys to see the "Big Cow" at Jilberts in town, but they were closed when we got there. We ended up at a little place called Drizzles that is pretty close to our house. The boys each got their own little cup from Grandpa. Needless to say, we have an ice cream lover on our hands!

At Jilberts with Uncle Mark and Aunt Kelly!

Drew enjoying his ice cream.

Football with Grandpa

2011-04-26T09:03:00.002-04:00

I just love this series of pics I happened to catch of Charlie and Grandpa. We brought Charlie's football with to play with his cousins at the party, and at one point everyone was trying to teach Charlie how to snap the ball and receive it. Grandpa used to be the one to snap the ball, so he was showing Charlie how to do it. Here's the pictures to show the lesson!

Getting in the stance.

Grandpa is getting ready to snap . . .

Snap to Charlie . . .

... and run through the legs for a touchdown!

Hrodey Family Reunion

2011-04-26T08:46:00.003-04:00

As I mentioned in the last post, we went to Chicago for Pete's grandpa's 90th birthday party. The whole immediate family was there, plus many of Pete's dad's cousins and other family members. It was so nice to hang out with the cousins and their kiddos for a couple days. As always, it's never enough time, but it had been awhile since we all were together, so we'll take any time we can get! Saturday we went to Trader Joe's, IKEA, and then all got lunch from Whole Foods while we set up for the party. Saturday afternoon was the party, then the kiddos went swimming, and the adults just relaxed and caught up with each other. We woke up Sunday morning for breakfast, and AC had Easter baskets for all of the kids. They loved pulling out all of the special things she gave them. We had a long ride home Sunday, so we took off pretty early. Charlie did great in the car, minus a few false alarm potty-pullovers. It was so nice catching up with everyone, and we are hoping to see everyone again in Ludington this summer!

Charlie and AJ playing with the hockey guys.

A great pic of Charlie, Pete and Aunt Kelly.

Grandma brought the bubble machine for the kiddos. It was a BIG hit!

4 generations of Hrodey!

An Easter basket from AC... oh, boy!!!

AC with all of the kiddos and their Easter goodies. Charlie, Ally, AJ, and Drew.

Drew and Charlie being their usual goofy selves!

A Visit to Grandpa George!

2011-04-21T08:16:00.003-04:00

Last weekend we took a trip to Chicago to celebrate Pete's grandpa's 90th birthday with the entire family. When we got there, we made a special trip to see Grandpa so we could spend some alone time before the big birthday party. Charlie was a little shy with him at first, but it didn't take him too long to warm up! Dad and I left to get food for everyone, and by the time we got back, Charlie and Drew were running around the house and giving Grandpa "knucks". The best part was probably when Grandpa brought out the cookies...both boys were definitely all about him then! We have a nice little visit with him and AC, and I think he was ready for a break from the kiddos after a couple hours. I will post pics from the birthday party soon.

Getting a cookie from Grandpa George.

"Knucks" for Grandpa and AC!

Powdered Sugar Donuts

2011-04-17T22:16:00.002-04:00

I don't think I even need to write anything about these pictures! =)

Making Mommy a Cake

2011-04-13T08:32:00.002-04:00

Pete's parents were here for my birthday, so they helped Charlie make me a cake. As I have said before, Charlie is a very independent little guy. He likes to do everything himself and very rarely wants you to help him. He really enjoyed making the cake. I think his favorite part was smoothing it around in the 9x13! Oh... wait... his favorite part was definitely eating it! Pete and I were able to go out for a nice dinner on my birthday while Charlie spent some quality with Grandpa and Grandma. They went out to dinner for a cheeseburger, then headed over to Jilberts to visit the big cow and get some yummy ice cream. It was so nice to have Pete's parents here for the week. They helped me to get so much accomplished around the house! A BIG thank you for all their help! I don't know what our house would look like if you weren't here to help!!

Opening the bag of cake mix.

Pouring it in the bowl.

Helping Grandpa mix it all together.

Helping Grandma spread it in the 9x13.

So much fun!!!

Grandpa's Little Helper

2011-04-11T20:54:00.002-04:00

We are starting to notice a little trend in Charlie. He wants to do everything you do! Last week we got a new dish washer, and we installed it ourselves. I was helping Pete's dad do the final touches, and Charlie kept coming over with his Handy Manny tools to help (you can see Pete's dad using "Squeeze" to hold a wire). I had to take a picture of him. He just wanted to hold the flashlight to help Grandpa out. He also wanted to climb the ladder every time Grandpa went up. He kept saying, "My ladder". You can imagine the difficulty Pete's dad had trying to paint the kitchen with Charlie constantly wanting to climb the ladder! He's such a good little helper.

A Glimpse of the Summer

2011-04-11T20:48:00.003-04:00

This past weekend in Marquette was beautiful! We reached into the 60's, and we took advantage of every moment we could get outside. The top picture was Charlie before he headed outside. I was changing him into play pants, and he wanted to go get his boots on. He came back with one boot and the thrower for Payton. I don't know who is more excited to be outside, Charlie or Payton. Needless to say, they both love running around in the backyard, and they both sleep real good afterwards so it's nice for Pete and I to have two tired boys!! We are looking forward to the warmer weather! It's going to be a good summer!!

Charlie is starting to be able to throw the ball for Payton a bit. It doesn't go far, but he's getting the hang of it!

Charlie's First Bike!

2011-04-10T09:08:00.002-04:00

We got Charlie his first bike! The other day Kid's Woot had an awesome deal on a balance bike for kids, so we couldn't pass it up. You should have seen how excited Charlie was to see the bike sitting on the back porch! We had Pete put the bike together that night, and Charlie was ready to roll. He absolutely LOVED it! He did not want to get off. At first we had the seat too high, but once we moved it down, it was the perfect height for him. It's so fun to see how excited Charlie is to have his very own bike. I think we will have some fun on it this summer!

Sorry the video is sideways... I forgot that I can't turn the camera vertical or it will turn out like this.

The Donut Monsters

2011-04-08T11:26:00.004-04:00

Well, Pete, Mark, Kelly & I have created some monsters. Donut monsters to be exact!! We've started a little tradition that when we spend the night at Mark, Kelly, and Drew's, we get donuts in the morning for the boys. Now, to let you understand the magnitude of this tradition, I have captured some pictures. These boys go nuts even when they hear the word donut. We woke up Sunday morning, and I went to the store to get the donuts. When I returned, both boys were pressed up against the door yelling, "DONUTS!!!" They are just too funny! When Charlie and I left Gwen's birthday, we drove to Traverse City and stayed with M,K and D to break up our drive a bit. It also gave us an excuse to spend some special time with them. We had a nice, short visit, but we are looking forward to Easter weekend when they travel to the UP to see our new house! Now, back to the donut monsters!

They could barely smile for the picture. They were way too excited for donuts!

Charlie's happy donut face.

Drew's sweet donut face.

"Yea, donuts!!"

"Ahhhhhhh!!! I ate 2 donuts!!!"

Gwendolyn's 1st Birthday

2011-04-08T11:16:00.003-04:00

Charlie and I were able to stay through the weekend to help celebrate Gwen's 1st birthday! It was so nice to have Charlie play with all of his cousins again. Gwen had a great party and was all the smiles the whole day! Charlie partied hard until about 1:00, then we hopped in the car the head home to Marquette. He made it to the end of Dan & Mary's road, and then was out cold. It was a great way to end our trip downstate. Happy Birthday to my amazingly, beautiful niece! We look forward to many more birthdays!!

Isn't she the cutest! Her mommy made her shirt.

Grant and Charlie had fun playing with the tools.

Such a happy girl for her birthday!

"Mmmmm.... cake!"

Someone else enjoyed his birthday treat!

Mimi's Birthday

2011-03-31T08:36:00.002-04:00

Tuesday was my mom's birthday, so Charlie was very excited to wake up and say, "Happy Birthday, Mimi!" We stopped at the flower shop on the way home, and Charlie walked into the house with Mimi's tulips and told her happy birthday again. He also yelled, "Surprise", which I did not coach him to say. We had a nice dinner from Stillwater, and then we had some yummy cupcakes to celebrate. Charlie definitely enjoyed eating his cupcake, as you will see in the picture below. We all went in on an ice cream maker for her present, so we are excited to try it out tonight. I am guessing Charlie will like the ice cream too!! Happy Birthday, Mom! We love you very much and are so glad we were here to help you celebrate your special day!!!

Singing Happy Birthday to Mimi.

Getting ready to help Mimi blow out her candle.

Blow!

Yummy cupcakes!

Matt & Gwen Time

2011-03-29T20:02:00.003-04:00

On Saturday we went and spent the morning with Matt & Gwen. Charlie and Matt had a blast together! Charlie just wants to do everything Matt does, and he totally follows him around. They spent the entire morning jumping onto a couch, playing with the tools, and hanging out in the tent. Gwen just watched them the whole time looking like she just wanted to run with the boys! She's very close to walking, so it'll be interesting when she's moving around with them. We are headed back to their house on Saturday for Gwen's first birthday party, so I'll have more pictures then!!

Mary made this very cool tent to fit over their table in the basement. Lots of fun!

Isn't she the cutest!

Fun With Jameson & Liam

2011-03-28T08:39:00.004-04:00

Jameson and Charlie are such good buddies! They always have so much fun together, and they miss each other the minute they leave. Kind of sounds like their mommies, huh? :-) Our first morning we spent time at Jameson's house, then they came over later that afternoon to play some more. I think these boys are going to be quite the posse when they get a little older! It's just too much fun having a partner in crime, and I think Liam will catch up quickly once he's big enough to walk! I am sure there will be more pics with Jameson and Liam this week, but here are some to get us started!

Great faces, huh?

Charlie just loved playing with Liam. He was very gentle and very cute.

My mom bought this Handy Manny tools toy for Charlie. He and Jameson both LOVE it! They tools bounce up and down and dance like they do on the cartoon!

A "big squeeze" from Jameson. Lots of love was exchanged between these two.

Mr. Liam. Such a cutie pie and so big since the last time we saw him!

First Car Trip to Brighton

2011-03-27T09:15:00.003-04:00

Well, we finally did out first car trip downstate. It's an 8 hour drive from Marquette to Brighton, so it's definitely a long one. We left the house about 9:00 am, and we ended up making it to Ann Arbor around 5 pm. We had a quick stop for lunch at the bridge, and few gas/potty stops, and then we stopped in Ann Arbor for dinner. Charlie did awesome in the car!! I was so proud of him. He didn't have any potty accidents (oh . . . I might not have mentioned he's potty trained now), and he did awesome going potty every time we stopped. He had a bit of a meltdown when we stopped at Chili's for dinner, but that is to be expected after being cooped up in the car for 8 hours. Overall, it was a good trip, but we were definitely glad to be out of the car!

Charlie watching Bob on the drive down.

The big corn on a stick he got at Chili's. Why wouldn't you give a kid a huge wooden stick to play with at dinner time? Right? I mean that's a great toy to have on the kid's menu!

First Pics from the New House . . .

2011-03-27T09:05:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the absence of the blog, but as you know we've been moving the last couple weeks. Charlie and I are now in Detroit visiting family and friends for the week, so I will try and catch up on the pictures and updates a bit! Sorry if the pictures aren't great... I took most of them with my phone.

We are officially in the new house! Woohoo! We moved everything in by Monday of last week. This was our first move where we didn't have Pete's parents helping us, so it took a little longer than it normally does. We did get help from Pete's friend, Matt, who helped Pete with the heavy lifting. Other than that, it was all Pete, Charlie and I. We got everything in Monday night, and then we left Tuesday morning. Pete had a conference in Ann Arbor all week, so Charlie and I tagged along to hang out in Brighton and visit. On Friday, Pete headed back to Marquette with his co-workers, but Charlie and I are staying an extra week so we are here for my niece, Gwen's, first birthday next weekend.

So that's the update. Now here's all the pics so far!

Charlie got to ride in the front seat between houses because the back of the Subaru was filled with stuff! (We only moved 5 miles down the road)

He figured out how to climb into the back of the truck from the porch.

First meal in the new house! This was right after we closed and before we started the cleaning!

First night in the new house. We were all snuggled in bed together!

Winter Fun!

2011-03-16T13:46:00.004-04:00

I was looking through pictures just now, and I found these and realized that I never posted them! One day when we got a lot of snow, Pete went out in the morning to snow blow the driveway. Charlie really likes watching him out the window, and this particular time Pete decided to play a game with him. The pictures really tell the story, so I'll label them and let them do the talking!

Daddy sees Charlie in the window (you can see his head poking up over the back corner of the second car).

After hiding behind the car, he pops out and gets a laugh from Charlie.

Now for the fun part . . .

Snowball fight at the window!

"Ta-dah! Here's Daddy!"

More snow . . .

... and an extreme close-up!

Giggling hysterically, "MORE DADDY, MORE!"

Charlie's New House!

2011-03-15T07:44:00.002-04:00

Well.... we closed on our house yesterday!!! So, here's Charlie's new house!!! We spent the day over there yesterday, and he loves running around inside. I can't wait for the snow to start melting because he and Payton are going to love the backyard! I didn't have the camera with me yesterday, so I'll take it over this week to get some shots of Charlie in the house. We should be in and settled.... or close to settled... by the end of the month. We are really looking forward to having our own house and celebrating our little family and our new life in Marquette! Starting April 1st, visitors are welcome!! Come on up and see beautiful Marquette in the summer time!

Charlie's 2nd Birthday!

2011-03-07T14:51:00.010-05:00

This past weekend was Charlie's 2nd birthday! We had the luxury on his actual birthday falling on the weekend, so we were able to have his party on his real birthday! We decided to have to party at my parent's cottage in Elk Lake so it would be a little easier for family to travel and help us celebrate. We headed down on Thursday, so we could make an entire weekend of it!

Friday morning we got up early and headed to Avalanche Bay, the water park at Boyne Mountain. Dan, Mary, Matt and Gwen went with us, and we were able to meet up with my cousins and their kiddos. We had a great day at the water park. All the boys loved the water slides, lazy river, and the toddler pool activities. We even worked it out so that the moms and dads were all able to ride the big water slides too! As the kiddos started to wind down around nap time, we headed home. Friday afternoon was a lazy one just setting up for the party and visiting the horses down the street.

On Saturday, we had the family over for the party. Not only were mine and Pete's immediate families there, but my Aunt Judy, Uncle Jack, David, Andrea, Dennis, Melissa, and all their kiddos were able to join us! It was crazy having all those kiddos in one room together, but we had a blast! As most of you know, Charlie loves Bob the Builder, so we went with a Bob theme. We played for awhile, opened presents, had dinner, enjoyed some cupcakes, and then wound down before bedtime.

Overall, it was a great weekend! Charlie was fighting a cold, so he was a bit cranky some of the times, but he rallied when we needed him to. We finished off Sunday with donuts at Mark & Kelly's house, then we headed home. A special thank you to my parents for letting us use your house and for helping us throw one amazing Bob party! You guys are the best, and we love you very much! It's definitely a party we, and Charlie, will always remember! Thank you also to my family for driving to four hours to be there to help us celebrate our little man. It was a very bitter sweet day. We miss our friends and family in California terribly, but it's nice to be close to rest of the family again. Thank you everyone for making Charlie's birthday so special!! These past two years have been amazing, and we can't wait to see what the future will bring!!

Charlie and Matt starting off the morning with some breakfast.

A little game of chase... one rode while the other chased.

David & Grant and Pete & Charlie enjoying a ride on the lazy river.

Charlie and me on the water slide.

Charlie and Matt playing catch with Papa. I love their faces in this picture!

First picture of the birthday boy! He was ready to tackle his pancakes with his machine tools!

Special Bob, Scrambler, and Zoomer cupcakes for Charlie, surrounded by tools and construction cones.

Daddy and Charlie posing in front of his cupcakes.

Papa trying to keep the grand kids from digging into the cupcakes!

Charlie's special shirt and hat for the party.

Mimi got some cool signs, hats, and construction vests for the kids to have.

Gwen is all smiles and excited to be in the picture!

The table all set up.

The biggest Bob balloon I've ever seen!

His favorite part... presents!

Opening his cool Bob the Builder tool belt Grandma found for him!

Our macaroni and cheese construction site.

Our little family.

He wasn't too sure of everyone singing Happy Birthday to him.

Blowing out his candles.

Mmmmmm.... cupcake.

Cupcake smile for the camera.

Mooradian cousins shot:(from left to right, with parents in parenthesis) Grant, Avery (David & Andrea), Gwen, Matt (Dan & Mary), Charlie, Tatum, Alex, and Reece (Dennis & Melissa).

Same group, but with Drew (Mark & Kelly's son) added in the middle!

Our Cowboy

2011-02-27T07:54:00.002-05:00

When Uncle Randy and Auntie Cake sent Charlie his first horse for Christmas, the problem was that it was too big for Charlie to climb onto and get off himself. Auntie Cake assured us that once he could handle it himself, he'd be on it all the time. Well, first he figured out how to slide off the horse a couple of months ago. The other day, I was doing dishes in the kitchen. Charlie was asking to ride his horse, and I told him he had to wait until I was done doing the dishes. This apparently wasn't good enough, so Charlie tried it himself. Of course he was successful, so now he can ride his horse whenever he wants! Here he is in action!

Mastering the Drums

2011-02-24T08:04:00.003-05:00

As some of you may recall, Auntie BB and Uncle JB, from California, sent Charlie a drum set for Christmas. It intrigued him a bit in the beginning, but now he is totally into it! He's finally figured out how to put it around his neck and be a true drummer! Please, please, please... Auntie BB & Uncle JB... don't ever send a real drum set! This one is just perfect!

Last of the Colorado Pics!

2011-02-20T19:59:00.005-05:00

Kelly sent me here pics from Colorado, and she had some good ones, so here they are!

UP200 Dog Sled Races

2011-02-19T17:46:00.003-05:00

Last night we headed to a restaurant called Upfront to watch the UP200 Dog Sled Races. We met up with some friends who also have kids around Charlie's age to hang out for the evening. There was a bar, a buffet of pizza, a band, and a dance floor. The dance floor was quickly taken over by all the kids. They were dancing, running, hitting a balloon... you name it. Charlie had a blast chasing around with the other kids, and it was amazing how nice the older kids were to him. They made sure he was able to hold the balloon, and they always helped him up if he fell down. Once the dog sled races started, we were able to go out on the balcony to see them run right in front of the restaurant. A musher and his dogs would come by every 3-5 minutes or so, and there were 15 mushers in the race. Charlie loved watching the dogs, and he kept saying, "Go! Go! Go!" and "Go, Dogs, Go!" It was pretty cute. When it got too cold to stand out there, we went back in to get warm. It was such a nice evening. The kids all occupied one another, and that allowed the adults to stand around drinking beers. We mingled with out friends, watched the kiddos have a blast, and enjoyed some great music. The only bad part was that I forgot my camera, so I had to rely on my phone for pictures, and they didn't turn out the best. Other than that, it was a great evening!

This girl was my friend's niece. She really took a liking to Charlie, and he really liked her back!

Here's a video I took of the race with my camera.

Hiking Around Presque Isle

2011-02-16T13:09:00.003-05:00

Today is a beautiful day in Marquette! It was 45 degrees out, so when my friend, Shannon, called to take the kiddos for a hike, I was all for it! There's nothing better than fresh air and exercise for Charlie in the middle of the winter! We headed out to Presque Isle with the intention to walk around it. We maybe made it half way, but did pretty good considering we had a 3-year-old, 2-year-old, and a 1-year-old in tow. There was a fascination with rocks, and Anna kept wanting to make a dash for the woods with the deeper snow. Overall, it was a great outing, and it felt so good to get outside in the sunshine. Payton even laid out on the porch this afternoon to do some sunbathing!

Charlie has a fascination for snowmobiles since we saw them at the hotel in Wisconsin, so when he saw one at Shannon's house, he was psyched! He and Joe went for an imaginary ride!

A quick shot of the kiddos on our walk: Charlie, Joe, and Anna.

Payton enjoying the sunshine.

More Colorado . . .

2011-02-16T06:55:00.003-05:00

A few more pictures from Colorado that Pete's mom sent to me.

By far my favorite picture yet! This will totally be in all of his future slide shows!

Wearing Grandpa's ski boots.

I love this picture! Looks like Charlie tooted and Drew is just starting to realize it!

And again... Charlie playing with the goggles.

Winter Park & Charlie's First Time Skiing!

2011-02-10T20:11:00.010-05:00

Last week we were in Winter Park, CO visiting Pete's parents. They go out there for 4 months in the winter time to ski. We have been going out to visit for the past 3 years, and it's become a yearly tradition! We left Marquette on Friday morning, met up with Kelly & Drew in Detroit, and then continued on to Colorado together. Pete, Kelly, and Drew stayed until Monday morning, and Charlie and I stayed through Wednesday. To top this year's trip off, Uncle Randy and Auntie Cake were there too! Kathy's daughter, Mallory, lives in Denver, so they were able to kill two birds with one stone and visit Mallory & Dan... and us also! Pete, Charlie, and I visited with the California gang Friday night for a bit when they got to Winter Park. Saturday morning, Kathy joined Pete's mom to watch the boys as the rest of us headed out skiing. They came to the mountain at lunchtime to meet up with us. We took Charlie out to the bunny hill to ride the magic carpet and have Pete's dad take him down the hill. He LOVED it! On Sunday, we all skied again, and then met up at lunch. It was a pretty cold day, and Super Bowl Sunday, so we headed home early for naps and the preparing of dinner. We spent the evening with the Hamilton's eating dinner, watching the game, and just enjoying our time together. Monday morning Pete, Kelly, and Drew left. Charlie and I headed over to the Hamilton's condo to hang out with them until they left after breakfast. We had a nice little meal together, and then said our goodbyes. It was just as hard saying goodbye this time as it was when we left California, but fortunately for us, Kathy and Randy are coming to Michigan this summer, so it won't be too long until we see them again. On Tuesday, Pete's dad and I headed out skiing in the morning, and Pete's mom brought Charlie to the mountain for lunch. We put Charlie in boots and skis and took him back to the bunny hill. Again, he LOVED it! He can't do ski school until he's 3, so we'll just keep working with him ourselves this year and get him into lessons next year. We had a wonderful time with Pete's parents, and a special thank you to them for everything they did for us. This trip is always one we look forward to, and I know we will create a ton of wonderful memories from each trip! It was also great to spend the weekend with Uncle Randy and Auntie Cake. They mean so much to Charlie, and us, and it's so nice to know that we won't lose touch with them. Charlie loves you both so much, and it's so great to see his eyes light up when he spends time with you. We love you guys and miss you every day!

Riding the tram at Detroit Metro.

Charlie eating his muffin at the airport.

Charlie loved trying on the different ski helmets. This one had monsters all over it!

Charlie with some pretty great people.

Special time with Uncle Randy and Auntie Cake.

Petey had a frozen beard after skiing. My own Iceman.

Eating cereal with Grandpa.

Charlie loved wearing the ski goggles around the condo.

U.R. and A.C. surviving the cold. Randy informed us it was 70 degrees in Lodi!

Riding the magic carpet for the first time.

Love this woman more than she'll ever know!

Getting ready for the Super Bowl with Uncle Randy.

Two of Charlie's favorites... Auntie Cake and hummus!

Pete joining Charlie in his "smile for the camera" face.

First time on skis!

Skiing with Grandpa.

Trying him on his own.

Skiing with Mom.

Riding the magic carpet with Grandpa and Grandma.

Watch out! Next year he'll be bombing the slopes!

Mallory cooked spaghetti and meatballs for Super Bowl. When she tested the noodles to see if they were done, I told her to throw them at the wall. We thought it would be fun to teach Charlie how to do it!