Charlotte's Easter Party

Charlotte's school parties are always so much fun. Her class hunted Easter eggs and then went back to the classroom for snacks, a story, and a craft. She and her friends are so cute together! And this cute outfit is one that Auntie Carrie saw at Crazy 8 when she was shopping for Pearce. She called me and said I HAD to go get it for Charlotte. Good call Carrie!

A Little Too Relaxed

Charlotte got her hair cut a few days before Easter. This is her signature haircut now, and she gets so many compliments on it! I think I've said this before, but Charlotte is so good when she goes to the salon. She loves getting her hair washed and is so still when Mr. Anh cuts it. Anh is very meticulous with his cutting so it does take a while, but Charlotte really doesn't mind. On this day, the only appointment I could get was for 4:45. She was happy and energetic in the beginning but started to fade towards the end. Mama was there with us (she actually had an appointment with Anh right after Charlotte) and took these pictures. Charlotte was sitting on my lap and I saw her eyes start to get heavy. Pretty soon, she just couldn't hold them open anymore...I had to hold her head up for Anh to finish! So funny. 

Her hair still looked cute the next day for her class Easter party. Charlotte is NOT a morning person though. She is a little grumpy when she first wakes up, especially if I have to hurry and get her ready for school. If she could have it her way, she would sleep in, then get a cup of apple juice, relax while watching a show, and then get dressed after an hour or so. I really wanted to take her picture with her looking so cute, but she was not happy with me...as you can see. But then I let her ride her scooter for a little while and she perked up. 

April Fool's Joke

Nathan and Charlotte REALLY want a puppy. They ask for one all the time. Charlotte would love to have a poodle (doesn't that totally fit her?!). She would love a pink one but knows pink poodles are only for stuffed animals. And Nathan just wants any kind of puppy. Whenever they ask for one, I always tell them it's kind of up to Daddy. I would love to get them one, but Wayne (being the practical one) always reminds us that they take lots of time and care. Who is going to feed the dog? Who is going to pick up after him? What do we do with him when we go on trips? We'd have to board it which is expensive. And what about the shedding?! So Nathan and Charlotte promise they will help feed and take care of the puppy, and I told Wayne there are lots of breeds of dogs that don't shed. Plus I know realistically that I'll be the one doing all the work, but I'm ok with that. This is a conversation we have ALL the time. When Nathan and Charlotte don't want to pick up their toys or clean their rooms, we always say, "So how do we know you'll take care of a puppy if you don't want to pick up your toys?" Then they clean up. When we see someone walking their dog, we always stop and pet the dog, and Nathan always asks if the dog sheds. It's so funny! Then he goes on and on about how he and his sister want a dog, and Charlotte chimes in that she wants a pink poodle, and then Nathan tells about how Daddy won't get one for them yet, but maybe one day. I think everyone with a dog in the neighborhood has heard this. 

It just so happens that one of our neighbors just got a puppy, so I came up with the best April Fool's joke...to let Wayne think I went out and got the kids a puppy myself! The three of us planned this for a while, and they were so excited. We borrowed Earl around 5 on April Fool's day and waited for Daddy to come home. Nathan and Charlotte had so much fun playing with Earl for a few hours before Wayne got home. When we heard the garage door open, we all scrambled into our places. Nathan was holding Earl, Charlotte was standing next to them, and I had the IPad ready to take a video. He walked in, saw Nathan holding a puppy, me videotaping, and heard them say, "Surprise! Look what Mommy got us!" It was hilarious! He was completely stunned and said, "What is that?" A puppy, silly! Nathan and Charlotte started begging him to keep the dog...just like we practiced. Wayne was so confused and kept asking whose dog it was. I was laughing and said that it was kind of spontaneous, but we figured he couldn't say no if we already got the dog. It was a little scary to see what good liars Nathan and Charlotte were! Nathan went into this long story about how we went to the shelter and saw him, and he was such a good dog. And he told Wayne that the shelter worker told him that this dog really likes guys with glasses. At one point, Wayne was trying not to show his severe irritation with me in front of the kids, and through a clenched smile, he said, "Mommy, what have you done?"  I could just imagine what was going through his head. On one hand, he was thinking there was no way I would ever do something so drastic without talking to him. But on the other hand, I can be a bit crazy sometimes, and he could actually see me doing it! We finally got Wayne to go sit down and hold Earl (this joke went on and on for about 30 minutes). Wayne actually started to soften when he saw how sweet Earl was. Earl even fell asleep on him! I finally decided to let Wayne in on our joke, and winked at Nathan and Charlotte. They both yelled APRIL FOOLS! all at once. Wayne ended up being relieved, but also a little disappointed! I think relieved won out, but my plan worked in that now Wayne has agreed that we will get a dog sooner rather than later. He thinks we should wait one more year and then get one. We're going to hold him to it :)

The last picture is of Wayne watching the video we took. 

Sewing and Visiting Grandma

This is the latest dress I made for Charlotte at Mama's house. Excuse my feet in two of the pictures!!! This dress was so much fun to make and turned out really cute on her. I am loving sewing and am so glad I have a little girl to sew for! Charlotte is actually very picky about her clothes...she doesn't like things to be too tight or itchy...she thinks everything is itchy and pretty much always wears an undershirt under everything. So I was happy this dress passed the test for her. Although you'll notice she has on a shirt and leggings, but it still looks cute. We went to visit Grandma a few days later and Charlotte showed off the dress for her and Mama. 

Riding a Bike

Nathan can now say he is an official 2-wheel bike rider! A few weeks ago, while Pearce was here, Nathan wanted to try to ride his bike. We really worked on Nathan trying to learn to ride his bike without training wheels months ago, but it never worked. So when Nathan wanted me to get his bike out, I figured he'd try it, fall, and that would be that. I knew we needed to teach him, but that Daddy would be the best one to do it. So I got his bike out, Nathan got on, and I gave him a little push in the alley. He rode it down the alley for quite a ways! He was very wobbly, but he stayed on. I was so proud and impressed. And Nathan absolutely couldn't believe it! He kept saying, "Oh my goodness Mommy! I just can't believe it, I can't believe it!" Well, he was hooked and wanted to keep trying. So we took the bike to the front and practiced on the street a bit. It was really hard for me to help him because I was having to help Nathan on the bike, watch for cars, and watch Pearce. I called Daddy and told him to hurry home from work so he could help Nathan. When Daddy got home, they practiced and practiced on the street, and by the 3rd time, Nathan was riding all the way down the street on his own. He was beyond proud of himself! It was like it just suddenly clicked! He did fall down a few times and got some scrapes, but he was just so happy that he could do it, that he really didn't get too upset. The next day, Pearce, Nathan, and I went to the school parking lot to practice. Nathan went all over that parking lot. Nathan is just like his Daddy where if he's going to try something, he wants to do it just right. He would get very frustrated at himself when he would fall. Nathan was determined to ride his bike around the parking lot and then up the ramp by the front door of the school and through a narrow corridor. I told him I didn't think that was the best idea right now while he is still learning to balance and steer. But he didn't want to hear that. It was kind of funny though because I am videotaping all of this and I got his frustration on tape! At one point, he tried to go around a bush and fell over into it. He was so mad! Nathan hopped off, took his helmet off, threw it down and kicked his bike while calling it stupid...he never says the "S" word, but he sure did this time. I just let him get frustrated while I filmed...it was really funny!

It's been two weeks and he was ridden his bike every day and is now really good on it. We have gone to the park trails and all over the neighborhood. What a big boy Nathan is!!!

Pearce

During Nathan and Charlotte's spring break, Carrie and I swapped Pearce and Charlotte for 3 days. Charlotte was spoiled by Auntie Carrie, and Pearce was in Heaven with Nay Nay. He just loves to be with Nathan, and Nathan loves feeling like the "big brother." I told Nathan that since Pearce looks up to him so much, he has to be a good example for him. Nathan was a GREAT example! I was so proud of how sweet, fun, and caring he was towards Pearce. And the best part is that Nathan really WANTED to help me take care of Pearce, it wasn't a burden at all. 

We did lots of fun things while Pearce was here. First we went to the toy store to pick out a little something. Nathan chose a small Lego set, and Pearce wanted a toy story handheld fan. We went to Coo Coo's (a bounce house), the park, and Pearce was even here when Nathan learned to ride his 2-wheel bike! 

We had so much fun together!