Who Does This Remind You of?

Phillip, originally uploaded by cotyandtristan.

This is actually a picture of my Dad. It was shown to me since we're down in SC visiting right now, and I can't believe how much Charlie resembles him!

'I'm Reading A Book!'

Make sure you watch and listen for the 'the end' throw. :S He's getting so destructive these days!

More Fall Fun!

Boy, between Charlie's school and the different mommy blogs I read, I sure do come up with alot of ideas for fun these days! One day, I'll figure out a way to thank everyone. But for right now, have some pictures!

In these pictures you'll see an idea that I took from Charlie's school and made our own. Well, that's what I thought. Go figure that the next day I saw another blogger doing the same thing! Anyway, it's called a Sensory Table at his school. Every day his teachers fill the table with different things and the kids seem to have so much fun. One of Charlie's favorites is Bubble Day with rubber duckies. I decided to hit Walmart and Dollar Tree to see if I could find some cheap little toys to put in his Sensory Bin at home. He is in LOVE and will seriously sit down to play for a good half hour. Even after that initial 'WOW!' reaction and playtime, he'll continue to go back to the bin for the rest of the day.

This particular day I told him we were going on a mouse hunt!

And, we've been doing more painting. He really cannot get enough of that. He asks everyday to paint and sometimes gets grumpy when I tell him no. I'm always on the lookout for things he can decorate with paint, markers, stickers, and glue, so these cute Halloween picture frames at Christmas Tree Shop were no exception! I figure we'll put some pictures of him in his costume in the frames.

We've also decorated several pumpkins.

This morning, we attended a free Halloween festival put on by Mitchell College. All they asked was a donation of one canned good for entry. Easy peasy! Charlie had so much fun playing the different games, working on small crafts, and even having his face painted. He also participated in a short costume parade and followed the leader's directions so well. I was very impressed! He was so cute telling everyone, 'I a BLUE monster. Raaawrr!'

One of his favorite things was the balloon guy. He made him a cool monster hat to match his costume. But wait for it...I need you to see the enormity of this thing...

That's right, it was about 3.5' in diameter. Poor Charlie kept running into everyone and everything!

But seriously..have you ever seen a cuter blue monster?

I didn't think so!

Things You Do In The North...

That you don't do in the South.

Get bundled up to go outside during the middle of the day in October.

Apple picking in the crisp, cool weather.

This.

Go a little overboard with fall crafting because you can actually teach your kid what fall is/looks like.

More to come.

3 out of 4

In parenting, I've always thought there are four big milestones that are tremendous to you and your child. They're hard. They're brutal. They're downright scary. Let me list them for you(although you might want to put on your rose-colored glasses if you're not there, yet):

1. Weaning from the boob or the bottle

2. Weaning from the pacifier

3. Transitioning out of the crib

4. Potty training

If you ask your fellow mommies and daddies about any of those four topics, there eyes will probably turn wide and they'll surely have a story to tell. They might even take off running if they haven't been there yet!

Here at L.M.C. we've already discussed weaning from the pacifier. I'm sure y'all remember how terrified I was of that particular ordeal. Charlie gave me an easy time when it came to weaning from the boob. At exactly one year old, he decided he'd had enough. He was already good with a cup so we never relied on bottles. I count my lucky stars for that. Potty training? Yeah, that's one where my eyes glaze over. He's nowhere near ready and the only time he'll sit on the potty is if he is promised a sticker(or ten). It's not a huge deal because he's only two. If he isn't showing more interest by three then I may have to enroll him in Mommy Potty Bootcamp. ;)

So that leaves one thing: Transitioning out of the crib. The Husband and I talked it over, and because he was getting a bonus, decided that we should go ahead and buy the 'big boy bed' while we actually had the extra funds lying around. I figured at some point we'd get around to setting it up, but it was so cute I just went ahead and did it! The part I roll my eyes at, is the part where I actually expected Charlie to sleep in his crib when there was a fun, big boy bed in his room, too. Oh yeah. That went over well. He screamed, he cried, he threw himself on the floor. Fine. I told him if he wanted to sleep in the big boy bed, that he had to stay in there, be still and quiet, and go to sleep. I walked out the door half chuckling to myself thinking that was never gonna happen. Boy did he surprise me! I don't think I've ever heard him be so quiet or lay so still. I checked the monitor and didn't see any movement at all. Finally, after an hour of him not moving, I decided he must be asleep. I poked my head in the door and sure enough, he was! I couldn't believe it!! So from that night on he has slept in the big boy bed. I took the crib down a couple of weeks ago, and while sad to see it go, relieved that we are now done with 3 out of 4.

Charlie's new big boy room. I wish I could paint the walls, but we rent. :(

So we do lots of colorful projects to add a little zing. ;)

I'm going to add a couple more pictures on that blank space.

Happy Birthday Fall!

Fall is officially here and I couldn't be happier. I've never actually gotten to experience such a change in seasons, and not only is it refreshing, it's beautiful! Of course, cooler weather begs for new home decorations so we went off to Michael's in search of those the other day. I didn't get a chance to hang them up before Charlie went to bed, so he didn't see them until the next morning when we were leaving for school.

Apparently, all decorations equal a birthday party. What did he say when he walked out the door?
'Happy birthday!' I laughed and gently corrected him that it was, 'Happy Fall.' To that he said, 'Happy Birthday, Fall!'

To The Fair!

On Monday, we spent our day with friends at The Big E. We had a great time even though the weather was a little warmer than we've gotten used to over the past few weeks. It was a long day that left us all exhausted, but it was fun. :)

Charlie and Smushy holding hands in the car.

He had SO much fun on the various rides and fun houses.

And what fair is complete without a caffeine overdose...

...and a sugar high?

This was our bestest-favoritest moment, though.

Something we could do together. :)

Mommy: Charlie, what are we doing?

Charlie: We ride Dumbo elephant.

Mommy: Oh yeah! This is fun!!

Charlie: He has big ears *pausing as if to think* And little hairs!

Funniest.Kid.Ever.

The end.

Made By Mama <3

Last week, I finally got the chance to work on a project I've been looking forward to since June! A couple years ago I stumbled across the Carseat Poncho and thought it was a very innovative way of keeping children safe AND warm in the car during the colder months. I only paused when I saw the price. Ouch.

Back then, I hadn't yet learned to use a sewing machine. It is only recently I've become confident enough to even sew a couple square of fabric together. ;) I found this pattern at Joann Fabrics in June and have been waiting for cooler weather to get started on it. It was very simple and straightforward and only took about 45 minute from cutting to finish. I let Charlie pick out his own fleece and he's very excited about his Thomas poncho! Charlie is 37" tall and weighs 30 lbs. I cut the pattern to a 3T and it's a great fit with a little room to grow. :)

Even though I got the amount of fabric listed for the pattern, I still ended up with alot of extra. One day while Charlie was at school I free-styled a matching pair of pants. It really wasn't that hard and now I know exactly what to do! Fleece is(thankfully, for me) very forgiving and easy to work with.

Here's Charlie modeling how he'll use his poncho in the car this winter. Children should not wear bulky coats or snowsuits under their 5-point harness because in a crash the fabric will compress leaving alot of slack. Sometimes enough for a child to be ejected! What they can wear, however, is a light fleece jacket, a thin sweater, or even leg warmers on their arms. Top this with a fleece poncho and you can be they'll be super toasty!

See how the poncho doesn't affect his harness at all?

Now of course, don't go thinking I'm going to freeze my child. ;) We'll keep a heavier coat in the car for outings and such.

Our First Fall Craft!

I totally stole this idea from a blog that I read, but decided to use leaves instead of apples. I pre-cut the letters out so they would be ready for him to color. Then we talked about the different letters, and words that start with those letters, and why we were coloring them red and orange. After they'd been colored, Charlie spread glue over them and then sprinkled cinnamon on top for a smelly-good effect. Voila!

Just Thought You Should Be Aware...