A birthday wish...

My Grandma has ears that truly listen,

arms that always hold,

love that's never ending,

and a heart made of gold.

Happy Birthday Grandma-- See you Saturday!!

Love, Charlie

First trip to the farm

Charlie and I headed out to Springdale Farm with the playgroup last week. Charlie wanted to get up close and personal with every animal. We had a pretty close call with the peacock...


He did a lot better on the animal noises when the actual animals were there to demonstrate. He "baahed" all day while we were there, but we haven't heard a legitimate baah since then! He has diverted back to his regular habit of responding with a "ruf ruf" to every animal sound question. "Charlie, what does the cow say?" "Ruf-Ruf."

The other day we heard him ruf ruf-ing in the driveway and looked over to see our neighbor's cat crossing in front of him. Our poor confused boy...




I think Charlie was a little envious of the piglets. They just kept running in and out of a huge mud puddle and then over to Mom for a snack. What a life!

Hey guys, it's snowing in here...

A funny thing happened when we were having our house insulated. The contractors were drilling small holes in the siding of our house so that they could blow fiber insulation into the walls. This was all well and good except that our sliding pocket door between the hall and the living room apparently has a cavity that goes all the way to the wall of the house--so the insulation was pouring right in! Bob and I were sitting in the living room oblivious until Charlie started making noise and pointing. We looked over to see him standing in a cloud of fluffy, gray insulation. He didn't seem bothered by the situation at all and, in fact, seemed to enjoy the excitement. Plus it meant that we had to get out the vacuum, one of his favorite "toys."

Happy Father's Day!

I wanted you to know, on this Father's Day, that I am super thankful for the Dad you are to me AND that you are my best buddy in the whole wide world. Here are a few reasons why...

Those first few weeks, I wasn't too sure how I like it on the "outside." But, you always had a smile for me. You were pretty good at swaddling too.

From the first time I saw you, I knew that you were my Dad and that you would be a special part of my life--always.

Swimming is one of my favorite things to do with you, Dad. Even though you always make fun of my chubbiness, it's great to splash and float around with you.

This is the first time I ever went swimming in a lake. Wasn't it awesome when you were throwing me around and Mom got all nervous? She's always worrying for nothing!

You teach me about the finer things in life, like donut holes, licking the beaters, cake and Skittles!

Of course, you were there for my first steps and now I'm a pro (kind-of)!

My first Christmas was special--because all the people I love were there with me.

I know you'll tell me all about cars. I'm going to love them just like you do! When I grow up, I'll have one like this with flames painted on the hood too...

One of my favorite places in the whole, wide world is on your shoulders. The view is just better up here!

Did I mention, thanks for all the cake??

You can always count on me to be your helper, Dad. I've learned so much about crescent wrenches, and putty knives and shop vacs, and that I shouldn't eat screws...

There's so many things that we haven't discovered together yet. I can hardly wait to see what adventures are in store!

Even though Mom always looks and me and sighs when I get all dirty, I know that you're secretly proud of the gigantic messes I can make. C'mon, not everybody can make a mess like I can. My record's 5 outfit changes in one day...not including pajamas...now that's impressive!

I'm so proud of you, Dad, for all you do--being the best Dad a boy could ever have and a pretty darn good husband to Mom too! Happy Father's Day Dad, I love you! --your buddy, Charlie

The Pitter Patter...

...of two more little feet (see one of these feet above) is coming soon to the Adams household! Most of you probably know by now that we're expecting our second child at the end of September. We found out last month that we are having a girl and we're very excited! The pregnancy is going well so far and time is moving so fast!

As I've heard many other parents say, one of the most wonderful things about having a second child is seeing how child number one reacts to their new sibling. As you can see by the photo above, Charlie is being sure to take time out to prepare his heart to welcome his baby sister (ha ha, I think he's really planning how he can hoist his sis down the laundry chute).

Ollie the Octopus - A Masterpiece

Hmmm, this looks complicated. I'd better stick to eating the crayons. Does each color have a different flavor I wonder?

Hey, it's easier than I thought. I'm an artist! You'd better clear off the fridge and get the magnets ready Mom...

Most kids I see...they just use one crayon. Check this out amateurs, I'm working three crayons at once!

Yo, is there a cup holder on this riding toy?

Vacuuming, with Charlie around, is--in a word--pointless. Either he immediately sits on top of the vacuum and tries to move around the floor or he chases the end of the nozzle as you vacuum the carpet and grabs it every chance he gets. He also knows how to turn it on and off. So, what can I do? I'm off vacuuming. Maybe I'll try it again in six months...:)

Buddy Jack comes along for a wagon ride...