Summer in the Air

Today was the *perfect* park day. The wind is blowing warm gulf air through the city and the resulting weather is hot, but not too hot, and humid, but not too humid, especially given the breeze. It is the kind of weather that makes you think of summer shorts, flip flops, and trips to the beach, but without the immobilizing Houston heat. Just perfect. We loaded up with lunch, water, and sunscreen and headed out the door to Herman Park.

Apparently, everyone had the same idea, as parking was a nightmare! Unfortunately, the park shares a lot with the ZOO and the buses that bring thousands of school children this time of year. 10:20 is also a terrible time to catch people leaving, but we were lucky enough to snag a spot near the golf course and walked over to the playground.

That is, of course, next to the water playground. I've always steered Charlotte clear of this kind of wet fun, usually because I haven't thought to bring a swim diaper or something, so she didn't seem very weary.

That is, of course, until she saw the bigger kids splashing away. So, being the prepared Mama I am by having a change of clothes for her, I let her splash away. She had a great time!

Inch by inch, she crept forward, and got her feet wet. Literally. Followed by all of the rest of her!








Of course, after all of the splashing around, we had to go feed the ducks!

Etsy

So, I've heard of Etsy here and there, how someone with a crafty blog I've stumbled across has a "store" there, etc., and the other day, to support Stellan I decided that I'd actually do a little browsing and BUY something. I'd seen these crocheted clips sported by the little girl in the blog linked above and thought they were precious, so that is where I beelined. I ordered three different kinds.

And then proceeded to spend all my free time a few minutes browsing through other stores. People! I have come upon a crisis! There are a million, adorable, hand-made bows, dresses, shirts, outfits, tutus and other precious things that my little girl does not have! We've been so deprived over here and I never even knew it!

The real crisis? I can't afford to drop hundreds of dollars on cute stuff just because I feel like it. So I closed the browser and forced myself to be content with some of the cutest little clips you've ever seen. My fingers are itching to have a reason to buy something else - so someone have a baby girl, quick! It's a good thing Charlotte has some Hotze cousins on the way.

This clip, so far, is my favorite of the ones I purchased. It actually comes in other colors, so I might have to slip my credit card out when Fred isn't looking...

More Easter Pics

I know I've been a bad blogger lately. Tsk Tsk on me. It feels like we've been running around like crazy, so these photos are just going to have to suffice.

Charlotte waiting for her first Easter Egg hunt - no anticipation only because she doesn't yet know the sugar high she's about to reach.

As the full basket indicates, Charlotte learns fast when the situation involves candy (she had learned earlier that plastic eggs hold yummy things like chocolate.)

I mean, will you look at that serious, I mean business face? While she gladly picked up any egg someone pointed out to her, she was pretty darn good at finding them on her own. I must say I was impressed! But, I am a little biased.

Look at this happy girl showing off her spoils!

Some Easter Pics

Fred has some cute ones too, but that requires uploading. These pictures, however, were already uploaded by Helen and I'm just borrowing them for my blogging purposes.

Charlotte had a great Easter, including an egg hunt. The kid figured out that she was hunting for eggs REALLY quickly, including climbing up into the bushes after an egg that Mommy didn't see.

These pictures are from Rick and Nancy's house - we stopped by for a couple of hours at the end of the day.

He Is Risen!

Happy Easter!

Fred and I The Easter Bunny put together this really great basket for Charlotte! He was supposed to go to the Catholic bookstore and buy a nifty coloring book to go with the crayons, but got distracted by all the HFMD. I think the candy will be a hit, don't you?



I also baked chocolate chip cookies for the Easter celebration we're having with Fred's family tomorrow. They are YUMMM.



After Charlotte gets all of this sugar into her system, I think we'll see a lot of this (Charlotte dancing!):

HFMD, Take TWO

So now we're on our SECOND bout of Hand Foot and Mouth Disease. I had hoped that it would be milder the second time around, but so far, no such luck. It's been a VERY trying day around here.

Athough it feels like a lifetime since Charlotte still nursed, it was really only January. Since then, she's been sick MORE than in her entire first year of life. I know, she's exposed to a lot more now that she goes to MDO, but I'm soooo over it. It makes me tempted to nurse the next one until he or she is five.

Okay, not really, but I doubt I'll be as eager to wean the next one...

Dog Days

Charlotte and this little cutie were the entertainment at Bruce and Alafair's crawfish boil. Have I mentioned that Alafair is one of our new Oak Forest neighbors?

I forgot my camera, but Bruce's friend Russell snagged these photos and they ended up in my inbox this afternoon. I had to share!

We all had a great time. Charlotte even had a few bites of crawfish herself, spices and all. It must be that south Louisiana blood running through her veins!

New Rules

New Rule: coloring ONLY at the kitchen table under adult supervision. We used to color on the floor next to the computer (so Mommy could get a few minutes of work done) or at the coffee table. These methods worked well, except for the crayons that seemed to roll into funny places for Charlotte to find later and graffiti my walls!

While I was cooking dinner the other evening, I looked over to see Charlotte coloring on the hallway door. After a scolding and time out (her response was a blank stare of disinterest) I realized she'd marked up the whole hallway! Two minutes out of my sight = 30 minutes of scrubbing the walls.

So, crayons now stay where I can clearly see them.

A Charlotte/English Dictionary

A Charlotte/English dictionary:

Shot-it - What Charlotte calls the cute little girl that she sees in photographs and in the mirror.

Maddie, co ere - What Charlotte demands whens she wants Maddie, to come here! Maddie generally does not comply.

ticken - 1. Where Charlotte goes when she wants food, the kitchen 2. Chicken

sheegur - 1. Yogurt 2. Cereal
(I know, you'd think I feed her straight up sugar, wouldn't you?)

eemo - Elmo? Nope. Nemo! Gotta love the little clown fish from the reef!

eetsa pider - Itsy Bitsy Spider. She's getting really good at the hand motions for this one too! I see another video coming your way!

maider – Tomato also sometimes comes out as may-no. Some days she loves the grape ones cut up into pieces, other days, she’s not interested. That's my toddler for you.

cumberr – Cucumber! I cut these into long thin strips so she can dip them in to hummus. Dipping is always a favorite.

gee – GREEN! Bet you didn’t know we are raising an environmental enthusiast, did you?

There were some great guesses!
Michele did the best without the benefit of seeing anyone else’s guesses and Connie came up with the most correct answers. Next time I’ll have to offer a few more hints! If you entered the contest, send me an email and we’ll set up dinner plans. If you are an out-of-towner, just let me know when you’ll be here next!