Toy Catalog

This is one of Nathan's favorite things to do, and now Charlotte is catching on. Whenever we get a toy catalog in the mail, Nathan gets so excited! He and Daddy can sit in his chair for an hour looking at all of the new toys. Nathan was so sweet with Charlotte on this night. Even though this is something he and Daddy just do, Nathan wanted Charlotte to join them too. He said, "Charlotte, do you want to see some babies?" Of course she's not going to pass that up, so she and Nathan climbed into Daddy's lap and discussed what they could get for their birthday presents, friend's birthday presents, and just for fun :)

Flat Tire

A few days ago Mommy got a flat tire. Why am I always the one to run over a nail or screw?! Wayne was pretty sure that the nail was in a spot that could be plugged but when we took it into Firestone, they found a SECOND nail! And it was in a spot that couldn't be repaired. So Wayne got to buy me a new tire...how romantic! Nathan and Charlotte loved being able to help their daddy change the tire (we had to put the spare on to get it to the tire place.) I love how Nathan can be so silly and cute one minute and then turn into a little man the next when he feels he is really needed by his daddy. He was very grown up about changing the tire and taking care of Charlotte so she didn't get hurt :)

Happy Birthday Grandmother

Wednesday night, we celebrated Helen's birthday by having her over to grill hamburgers. Nathan loves birthday parties and wanted to get Grandmother balloons, pick out her cake, and wear party hats! We played outside for a while before Wayne got home. Nathan and Charlotte are so cute together. As Charlotte is getting older, she and Nathan are playing together more and more. Of course, they still have their moments of getting on each other's nerves, but mostly they are sweet with each other. Charlotte loves to do whatever her big brother does, and Nathan loves to BE the big brother and act like he's the one in charge :) He's done a really good job of trying to teach her how to go down the slide and play ball with him. Now he's working on getting her to swing!

After eating our burgers, Nathan passed out the party hats, sang Happy Birthday, and helped Grandmother blow out her candles. We actually had to light the candles twice. Nathan was all set to blow them out with Helen, but she accidentally blew them out all at once! It was so funny because Nathan kind of looked at us like, "I thought I was going to help you." So Wayne re-lit them, and Nathan beat her to it that time! Nathan was so cute when he asked what her wish was. When she told him it was a secret, he just could not understand why she wouldn't tell him. I kind of like the fact that he doesn't know yet that if you tell your wish, it won't come true...he always tells us his wishes!

Happy Birthday Grandmother! We love you!

Valentine Surprise

On Valentine's Day night, Wayne really surprised me! I wasn't expecting anything big at all. Wayne called me and told me that he was coming home early and would pick up dinner for us. Me not having to get dinner ready was wonderful, and I was completely happy with that! When he got home, he called Nathan out to the garage, and I thought, "Oh that's so cute, he's having Nathan write his name on a card." Nathan came back in and told me and Charlotte that we had to wait for him and Daddy in my room. I still wasn't expecting anything except that maybe Nathan wanted to get his crayons out and decorate my card. So Charlotte and I went to my room, and we were in there for a good 10 minutes. Finally, Nathan comes in and says (in a very grown up voice) "Could you please come to our restaurant?" He takes me by the hand and leads me into the kitchen where the lights are off, candles are lit, Wayne is in an apron, and food is set out on the bar! It was the cutest thing ever! They both take turns talking in this corny "waiter" voice welcoming Charlotte and I to their restaurant, asking us what we'd like to drink, calling us their girlfriends, waiting on us hand and foot, and it was the sweetest thing I've ever seen. Wayne told me that he and Nathan had planned this the other night and that it was Nathan's idea to cook me dinner. We had an appetizer of potato chips and french onion dip, ravioli for our main course, bread, wine, and apple juice!

And then Daddy surprised ALL of us by giving us each a Valentine card and a present! Nathan got a Lite Brite, Charlotte got a set of dress up clothes (tiara, clip-on earrings, necklace, wand, and shoes!) and Mommy got a gift card to Soma! This was by far the best Valentine's Day ever. Wayne was so thoughtful, and I loved how he made it such a family event. Thank you to my boyfriends!!!!

Playing at Grandmother's House

After the school Valentine party, Nathan and Charlotte spent a few hours at Grandmother's house. Wayne and I are planning a Spring Break trip (going skiing!) so I had to have a few hours of uninterrupted time to do a little research and get things planned out. Whenever Nathan and Charlotte spend time with Grandmother, they have so much fun riding their bikes in the circle in front of her house. What's crazy is that it wasn't that long ago that Charlotte could hardly ride the big wheels bike, although she really wanted to! I always worried about her falling off, but now she's a pro! And Nathan's bike is the one that I ran over. It still works well enough for him to ride, but he's starting to outgrow it. When I see them on their bikes, I can really tell how much they've grown! My babies are getting so big!

Nathan's Valentine Party

On Valentine's Day, Charlotte and I went to Nathan's school for his class Valentine Party. I absolutely love seeing Nathan with all of his friends. Nathan talks about his school friends all the time and really does love everyone. So when I get to see him in his class and the way all of his class mates act towards him, it just makes me so proud of Nathan. It is so obvious that they all get along so well. And when other moms tell me that their children talk about Nathan and how fun he is, it just makes me so happy. He is my sweet little Valentine!

Charlotte was so cute at the party as well. She remembered that Mrs. Luigs had a home play center with a kitchen, baby dolls (her favorite), table and chairs, and all sorts of baby equipment. So as soon as we walked in, she found Nathan, gave him a quick hug, and then went straight to the babies! In the last picture in the classroom, Charlotte is using her Capri Sun as a bottle for the baby :)

Nathan and Graham

Nathan and Mrs. Luigs

Nathan and Juliana...who he talks about all the time!

Caroline S., Klara, Emma, Mrs. Luigs, Caroline B., Juliana, Jordan
Roman, Nathan, Graham, and Blake

  

After school, Nathan loves to play on the playground with all of the other kids. The tire swing is his favorite, and he has gotten really good at pushing it himself and then jumping on! Charlotte sticks to the rocking animals (what do you call those?) and the slide. It's really neat that they let the kids play after school like this because Nathan, Charlotte, and I have made even more friends just by sticking around after school.