Charlie, ONE YEAR

Well, we did it! We made it to the one year mile stone! We couldn't love our little Charlie-Parley any more than we do!

Some of the biggest accomplishments of this month:

A few weeks before his first birthday, August 5th to be exact, Charlie started walking! It is the cutest thing ever to see him waddling around.  He is so tiny, it doesn't look like he should be able to walk around yet. He's gotten really good at it, really quickly. He's already doing his cute little version of running and chasing with his brother.

Charlie was weaned this month too! Such a big accomplishment for the little guy. I am so proud of him. Once I made up my mind to do it, it wasn't hard at all. He didn't even miss nursing. It's nice to have my body back to myself for a while!

 

Charlie also got 4 new teeth in, for a total of six teeth. He has his front four on the top, and his bottom two in the front in. So cute to see him with teeth. It sure changes his look.

  

Charlie has developed a love for using writing utensils. He's either going to be an artist, or a writer one day.

He still loves to dance. Every time music comes on this kid is bobbin his head of bouncing up and down. He loves it.

Charlie still loves balls and cars the most. He still does his motor noise every time he picks up a car or truck.

Charlie is a snuggler. I love that about him.

His favorite thing to do this month, is try to scare people by screaming at them. It's hilarious. He'll do it over and over agin just to see people's reactions and he just laughs and laughs.

Charlie is trying more and more to repeat the things we say. He speaks in his own babble language most of the time. It's so funny. He knows what he's saying, but we have no clue.

I've also caught him trying to sing a few times. So sweet.



Charlie is still facing backwards in his car seat, and he usually falls asleep if we are in the car for longer than five minutes. Blessing and a curse.

Charlie's favorite food this month is a peach. He will devour an entire peach without blinking. He is actually quite the eater. People are always commenting to me about how much he eats, strangers at restaurants, family members, people we don't know at parties and such. It's funny to see such a little guy pack in the food. We've started referring to him as our little garbage disposal, because he will eat just about anything.

Charlie has entered into this screaming phase. He screams to try to get the things he wants or to get our attention. I think its something he picked up from watching his brother. Its something we have to nip in the bud real soon because it drives me bonkers.

He's also learned that if he makes a big stink and cries and screams and falls down, Jack will get in trouble. A large percentage of the time, jack is the reason Charlie falls down, but he used to not even react. Now he knows that if he gives an over reaction, Jack will have to go to time out. So I really have to be careful and watch what is going on between them, so I don't unfairly punish jack for something that was an accident or no big deal.

Charlie has also come to the realization that he doesn't want to share with Jack. And so the sibling arguing begins. ha. But seriously, most of the time the boys are very, very sweet to one another. I couldn't ask for better boys.

Charlie is such a sweet addition to our family. For the most part, he is sweet as can be, always happy and well behaved, and just oh so precious. We sure love him!

August

August was really a spectacular month! In celebration of Gordy being done with the bar, we went 4-wheeling with his mom, dad, and Stevey. The boys and I waited until after nap time, then we drove up too. It was so, so much fun! Gordy was just grinning ear to ear the entire time. He kept saying it was the coolest thing he has ever done!

Dads will be dads... Love uploading pictures and finding gems like these..

Gordy went for a massive run/hike several miles past Ensign Peak.

I got to help Brynn out at her shop, Blooms and Co., again. Meanwhile, Gordy took Jack for a tour of the fire department.

We had a lovely cousin dinner down in Payson at Adam and Amanda's house. Then we stopped by Uncle Steve's apartment for a little while. 

The boys obsessed over the Porsche.

We helped a neighbor take care of a tree a wind storm blew over. 

We toured the Beehive house with Jack's cousins, Ainsley, and Lolly! Then we went to the food court and played on the dinosaurs. 

We went to Jillian's fabulous Minnie Mouse Birthday Party. Charlie kept his ears on the entire time!

We visited Gordy's great aunt Maureen. 

Another fabulous storm on Ensign Peak. 

Speaking of Ensign Peak, Jack and I climbed almost all the way to the top one day. He fell one too many times and decided he wanted to go home.

Gordy decided to take up golf again, so one Saturday we went out and hit a bucket of balls. It was a lot of fun. All except for the part where Gordy let Jack walk around the golf course with my iPhone and we all spent half an hour looking for it on the golf course, only to find in dropped into the golf bag. Aye, aye, aye. 

Don't my boys look so cute driving together?!

I wore red lipstick one day, and the boys would not stop asking me for kisses. It was so funny. 

We watched a massive bike race up by the capitol. It was so cool!

We drove out to the Salt Flats for Speed Week. The drive was one of those miserable drives you have with your kids. Charlie was exhausted. Jack kept screaming, which prevented Charlie from sleeping. It was horrendous. Once we got there, I just put Charlie back in the car and we just drove around the salt flats for an hour while he took a nap in the peaceful and quiet car. It was really quite the experience. We even got to see a race car spin out on the track, which apparently doesn't happen very often at all. 

Charlie discovered his love for coloring! Such an artist!

Aren't they so cute!?

Gramma and Grandpa came for a visit for Charlie's birthday and for Anderson's birth. This was Charlie's reaction when he saw Grandpa. 

We went to the block bbq party and the fire truck came and sprayed the kids all down. Jack loved it! But, he left his new favorite dinosaur, Linda the long neck, down at the park. He was inconsolable.  So, at 11:30 Gordy and I were down there with flash lights searching the entire ball fields/park area. Luckily, I found her. 

We went to cafe rio and just look at those balancing skills!

Charlie turned ONE and we had a ball themed birthday party for him. Charlie reached out and touched the candle, just after the flame was blown out, so he was mad as all heck and didn't even try his cake. Poor babe. 

I made two identical quilts, one for Jovey and one for Anderson. Both of them were born this month. 

The boys and I colored on a shower curtain, then turned it into a slip-n-slide/mini pool.

Another huge highlight of the month, was Gordy and I celebrating our five year anniversary! Five years! Can you believe it!?

We went out to a nice dinner at Brio, then went to an over night stay at Snowbird. Other than being in the hospital giving birth, it was the first night I have ever been away from my kids. It was so refreshing. We went swimming, watched a movie, and the got up the next morning and went on a hike, had a delicious breakfast, and then played all morning on the alpine slides and such. Best anniversary ever, ever!

Charlie really developed a love for nectarines and peaches this month because we could just go outside and pick them right off the trees. The only problem is, sandboxes and nectarines don't mix well...

We went to the dinosaur museum with Whitney and Meagan Fraughton. Jack was in heaven with all of those dinosaurs around!

See!? Great month right!?