Random

I picked Leah up from Pat's yesterday and she said that Leah had been a bit out of sorts and cranky in the morning so she out a little Orajel on her gums and noticed some pointy bumps in the back of her mouth...she has her first molar! Our little bean has her first molar. Stop growing I want you to be a baby forever!

In other news...god love Craigslist because we put the windows that used to be in our dining room on there and they sold in two days! Now if we can have the same luck on our garage sale next week I will be so happy!

The weekend ahead is semi busy, but not too crazy! Double R (Ro and Rod) are going on a four wheeler run tomorrow. I told Ro if he didn't start using that machine I'd sell it! I hope they have a great day! We are also having some new friends for dinner Saturday night so we are excited to see them and hang out. Sunday, we hope the weather cooperates because a friend of ours is having a walk to support Melanoma research and we want to support the cause. Hopefully we can run to Target too and pick up our new patio set for our finished patio! Let the warm weather and cookout season begin!

Our Little Yankee!

I'm not exactly sure who bought this teeny tiny Yankees shirt for Leah, but I broke it out today and she has never looked so adorable.

I chased her around the house this morning trying to get a decent picture of the front of the shirt, but she went from toy to toy tasting them. Yes, this is a plastic screw driver in her mouth, stop gasping!
I finally pinned her to the highchair and got some cute pics!

Someday, the whole family with take in a Yankees game. The girls will wear pink Yankees t-shirts and the boys will wear blue ones. How fun!

Hair Update

So basically I have never in my life seen hair grow as slow as it is on our girl Leah. From what I can tell it is not growing on top AT ALL! I massage it and talk to the hair follicles, but they are not budging AT ALL!

Now, the back is a different story. It is growing in the back and my fear is that she will be stuck with an 80s mullet. Now there will be some serious blackmail pictures for the future.
I am saving gobs and gobs of money on hair cuts and I don't have to fight with her to get her hair brushed so why am I complaining??

Some day little bean, you will have beautiful hair that we can put bows in! Until then we will wait and wait! We love you!

So I think I better help him put these on correctly!

Not only does he look dorky, but his poor ear is about to break off and it looks like he has a lazy eye! Thanks to Grandma Charlton for coming last night to check out Seth's swimming skills!

Backwards Dinner

Kristen, Jacob and Lindsey had us over for "backwards dinner" last night. We had breakfast for dinner and did everything backwards. The chairs, cups, plates and the whole dining room was turned backwards. The boys thought it was hysterical and ever turned their shirts around backwards. Dinner was delicious and we all ate our faces off!

The boys could easily sit with their chairs backwards, but Kristen, Roland and I had a hard time so we turned ours sideways.
I think both boys ate at least 2 pancakes, fruit salad and bacon. They were stuffed!

Lindsey enjoyed her baby food too!

Thanks for a wonderful dinner, it was super fun!

Check out our sleepy girl with her butt up in the air! I love how peaceful and comfy she is!

Growing Up

After our first family bike ride on Saturday we noticed that Seth's bike was getting too small for him. He kept banging his knees and ankles and it just looked small on him all of a sudden. He and Jacob always fight over their bikes and Seth always wants to ride Jacob's bike so to solve all problems I went and bought Seth a new, larger bike AND he has the same bike as Jacob too! Problems solved!

We woke him up from his nap and told him we had a surprise for him in my truck. He had no idea what was inside!
I think this is a surprised look of happiness!

He loves it and we have gone for countless bike rides in the last 3 days!

One happy boy!

Saturday Fun

Saturday was such a gorgeous day and we had no plans which then turned into random fun! We started the day by working around the yard and on the deck. Then, when Leah got up from her nap we went for our first family bike ride of the season. Leah was too little to go in the bike trailer last year, but this year she is the perfect size and she loves it.
After our bike ride we decided to have a spur of the moment picnic at the park and we asked the Voss' to join us. The kids ran around, played golf and enjoyed every minute of the spring weather.

It was a fantastic way to spend the day...outdoors!

My Master Craftsman

Roland completed the stairs from the sliding glass door to the deck and the railing last week, but he had an inspiration for the other side of the steps and he finally finished it on Saturday after working many evenings in the dark because we have no lights on the deck yet. Ooopps!

Instead of another railing, Roland built planter boxes on the other side of the steps.
When he tried to explain it I had no idea what he was talking about, but he definitely had a vision and it turned out awesome.

Now it just needs to warm up so we can plant flowers and get deck furniture and we will be set!

Happy Birthday Mom & Grandma

Last night we celebrated my mom's 57th birthday!

Of course she had a little help opening her gifts!

She kept asking me for suggestions of what she could hang in her bathroom since she had it painted so I did a little photo shoot of the kids in the bathtub all sudsy and it turned out super cute. She loved it!

It was such a beautiful night that we just played in the backyard and had a very relaxing evening.

This is my attempt at a homemade ice cream cake. It didn't turn out perfect, but it was delicious!

Happy Birthday to a wonderful mom, mother-in-law and grandma! We love you very much!

Friday Night Fun!

After my Aunt Jody and Uncle Gary's brief visit we decided to ask my grandparents to stay and have pizza with us. We had a very laid back and relaxing evening with them. They are always so excited to see the kids and Seth loves to show off for them!

To many more relaxing evenings with family!

Starting her Early

Leah had her first taste of Girl Scout Cookies Last night and of course like any other food, she was in love!

She couldn't shovel them in fast enough and she made a gigantic chocolate mess. Plus she was eating Mommy's favorite kind, the kind I normally don't even share. ha ha!

The Weekend Ahead

Our plans for the weekend ahead... a brief, but much anticipated visit with Uncle Gary and Aunt Jody today followed by pizza with Great Grandma and Grandpa. We plan to celebrate my mom's birthday tomorrow night with homemade ice cream cake and homemade gifties. Other than these two fun activities we are going to wing it! The time flies by so quickly that we want to enjoy each and every minute because they speed by in turbo speed! I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Get Ready Mr. Lee...

...your first official Charlton Care Package is ready to ship tomorrow. Seth even decorated the box just for your viewing pleasure! Enjoy, we miss you and be safe!

The Last of 6

I finished the last brownie Wednesday evening and it melted in my mouth as usual! I'm telling you in all honesty to stop by Romalato's Deli on Gaffney Dr. and buy one of these brownies. You will instantly become addicted and never turn back! They also have amazing sandwiches and such. So here is my public service announcement for Romalato's. Check them out you won't be sorry!

Lunch Break Dates

Just about once a week Justin stops over during his dinner break from work and we get to hang out for an hour. Seth loves Uncle J because he plays dinosaurs with him. Seth has such a great imagination and hearing the two of them is so funny!

Sorry these pics aren't too great, I took them with my cell phone.

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

I HOPE YOU ARE REMEMBERING TO USE REUSABLE SHOPPING BAGS WHEN YOU GO SHOPPING AND TO RECYCLE!

Grateful Thoughts for the Week

I am always so very very grateful for the wonderful life that I have, but on certain weeks I feel extra special grateful for certain things and I love to share them with the world!

* Leah's new nugget teeth and how she loves to be chased around the house with her big ol' belly hanging over her pants!

* How much Leah loves her shoes and how when I ask her to sit down so that I can put them on her she runs over and sits right down. She loves shoes just like her Mommy.

* Seth's love of dinosaurs and how he carries his "collection" around in a little Ziploc baggie. How he also loves to watch dinosaur videos on the computer and is like a little encyclopedia of facts.

* Roland when he is in home renovation mode. He is currently working on the stairs from the dining room to the deck. He built the railing on one side and has decided to build planter boxes on the other side. He is so creative and has such a vision.

* I am grateful for my mom's spirit. When times get tough she always tries so hard to put on a smiley face and she always wants to see the kids no matter how crappy she might feel. They lift her spirits and they love to go visit Grandma Puccia. Seth actually asks as soon as I pick him up from Pam's, "Can we go see Grandma Puccia?"

* My school pickup helpers, thank you to Papa Charlton, Poppy Puccia and Kristen. Without you, Seth wouldn't be able to go to school and we appreciate your help so very much!

* For friends who feed my unending cravings lately for Romalato's caramel brownies! Thank you Jen for getting me 3 brownies in a week on top of the other 3 I've had. Yes, I have had 6 caramel brownies from Romalato's in one week. They are more than amazing and highly addictive! Also to answer your question...no I am not pregnant they are just super delicious!

* Vacation planning; I booked our suite in Massachusetts for our trip to The Gilbert's as well as our room in Lake George for our return from The Gilbert's. I am in full vacation plan mode and I even started researching hotels in Disney for 2011. I know I'm crazy, but I love to plan!

* Dance parties! I am grateful for our dance party last weekend with Sheryl and Jess. We had so much fun that just thinking about it makes me smile!

* Vacation treats. Thank you to Roland and Bonnie for all of the Florida treats for the kids. They loved them all. Also, FYI, Leah's capris are super cute. She wore them yesterday!

* Congrats and props to my brother for being accepted and deciding to attend The University of Florida next year for graduate school. We are all so proud of you and we will miss you horribly! We are excited to see and hear all about your new endeavours.

*Congrats to my sister for meeting someone new and for being the happiest that I have seen and heard from her in a long time. Congrats Dayna!

* For my two closest, call and text numerous times a day friends Jen and Kristen. What would I do without you two? Life would be very boring and dull! Thanks for always being there for me!

* Gorgeous weather, walking and biking weather, outside as much as possible weather!

* Family near and far, family we don't get to see very much because of busy daily lives, but family we love just the same no matter when we get to see them.

* A special visit from my favorite aunt and uncle on Friday!

* Making a homemade ice cream cake for my mom's birthday. I can't wait to try something new and to eat it!

* The prospect of getting the boat out of storage soon and onto the lake and enjoying it as much as possible this summer!

* The news that The Castana's won't be leaving Watertown until June of 2011! Could you possibly stay forever though? Is it too much to ask?

* I know I am forgetting someone or something, but as you can see I am definitely feeling extra grateful today for life in general!

Clear Thank Heavens!

We went back for our 2nd recheck on Leah's ears and they are finally clear. I felt like I was in an episode of The Family Circus as we were waiting in the exam room. Leah wanted to raid her bag for food or steal anything that Seth was playing with while expressing herself in her normal grunt. Seth was pretty good until he wanted to constantly interrupt the doctor and have a chat with him. Ah the joys!

Videos for the Monday Morning Blues

Even though we danced all night on the Wii, this had to have been the most fun of all. I think Jess should try out for the next Footloose musical. What you didn't see was when I dropped the video camera and we all danced together...all 5 of us!

Seth and Aunt Sheryl dancing to Fame. I love that Seth knows all the words. He is just like me!

I've never posted a video where I am dancing because I look ridiculous, but I thought I'd better this time around.

Seth and Ro doing one of Seth's all time favorites.

I hope that some of these made you smile on this Monday morning!

Mama Mia!

To our dismay my mom is sick and could not go and see Mama Mia with us yesterday. Tom decided to stay home and take care of her so we decided to take Seth with us. He has seen the movie many times and knows ALL of the songs by heart. It was his first non-kid show and he was perfect. He was in total awe, sang and danced the whole time. It is a wonderful memory for us to have with him.
Here's to many many more shows and you never know, Seth may be in a musical or two when he grows up. He certainly loves to sing and dance! Thank you to Mom and Tom for the ticket, but we really missed having you there with us. We promise to do it again!