My Valentine!

The stuffed dog that Charlie is looking at is a musical, animated toy. Its ears flap up and down to "Shout" (You make me wanna shout, throw my hands up and shout ....). At first, he was very standoffish when we turned it on. Grandpa got him the dog for Valentine's Day 2009. (That is lasagna on his face ... our next stop was the bathtub!)

We were lucky enough to have Charlie with us for most of the day, and through the night. Even though the quality of the photos is not good, I am still posting them because they were so cute. I couldn't find my good camera so I settled for poor quality over no pictures!

Valentine's Day ... Last Year

< -------- Charlie, Valentine's Day, 2008 (I hope to post a 2009 picture tomorrow)

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and I have been thinking about the days leading up to Valentine's Day 2008. If valentines equal love, then I am quite blessed and loved. I have my sweet husband who really tries to make my life happy and keep it full of attention and love. I have the most beautiful daughter anyone could ask for. She not only loves me because I am her mother, but also likes me and enjoys spending time with me. She is always thinking up ways to bring happiness, pleasure, and love to my daily existence. Then, of course, there is my sweet, perfect, charming grandson, Charlie. One of the best feelings in the world is the "rush" I get when he sees me coming and claps his little hands together while his face lights up in a great big grin. I get so much out of just watching him play while he explores this world that surrounds him. (For anyone who missed it, that means he is the center of my universe.) No matter what my mood is, one look at him puts me in the best place on earth.

Just those three people would be enough to make me the happiest, most loved person on earth ... but I also have many family members and friends that brighten my days. My extended family is "FAMILY" - what more can I say, except that family is everything. My "friends" come in all ages. Some of them I have known for many years; some were brought into my life by my daughter (I really like her friends!); some I am just getting to know. To all of you who bring such joy into my life, Happy Valentine's Day!

He's Growing Up So Fast!

I know that every child probably does the things that Charlie does, but this is all about Charlie!

He seems to understand the difference between "Hi" and "Bye bye". When we pass people at the store, he looks at them, gives them a big smile, and says, "Hi!" When I go over to Becca's house, he gets really excited and crawls over to me, faster than most people walk. He climbs up my legs, and holds his hands up while he says, "Up." As soon as I pick him up he looks around and says, "Byeeee" while he opens and closes his little fist in the "baby-bye-bye" manner. He's ready to go bye-bye with Grandma!

One of his favorite things to do is "drive" the car. He stands behind the steering wheel and makes that little boy built-in motor sound, while he turns the wheel back and forth. We have a routine ... he gets to drive and then he wants to see the baby in the sun visor mirror. After he gives the baby and smile and a kiss, it's time to try out all of the buttons and levers. Then, since I don't want to make him cry, his mommy has to be the one to take him out of the driver's seat. (That's just one of the perks of being the grandma instead of the mommy!)

If I were the jealous type, I would be quite envious of Charlie's Papa (Dave). Charlie lights up like Time Square on New Year's Eve when he sees his Papa. I have a picture of Charlie and Dave on my computer desktop. When Charlie sees that picture come up, he becomes all excited and says, "Ooooooo ... Papa!" Then he says, "Papa? ... Papa? ... Papa?" over and over until you answer him or distract him. Of course, his Papa gets just as excited about seeing him, too!

Charlie is a very polite young man. He regularly says "thank you" ... okay, it's more like "gack coo" - but the message is still very clear. He asks for his "baba" (sippy cup with juice or milk), always phrasing it in the form of a question. "Baba?" I have decided that sometimes food is also called "baba". He says, "Up" to be picked up, and "out" to be taken out of his highchair or car seat. He tries to mimic words that he hears, and actions that he sees ("Be careful, little mouth, what you say." "Be careful, little eyes what you see." - from a child's song Rebecca used to sing.)

And, now for the heartbreaking stuff ... He still won't say "Grandma"!!!!! But, that's okay ... he will say it soon enough, because he is growing up so fast.

Just a few hours old.





We got to babysit. Charlie is sleeping in the same cradle his mommy slept in - the one that my dad built for her.











Christmas 2007 - his new swing.












On the carousel at Seaport Village

Time is certainly flying by! I really wanted to post a little more often on this site. So much happens, and it is so easy to forget the details.

Charlie had a wonderful first birthday. He had his party here at Grandma & Grandpa's house. There were lots of people here ... Grandma & Grandpa Sump, Aunt Jessica (Sump), Jose (roommate), Brandon (roommate), Jose's mother - Sherry, Travis (Billy & Becca's friend), Travis's mother, Justin (B & B's friend), Justin's mother, Jeanne Milton, Cambria Clark, Chatele Clark, Jason Beard, and more that I can't remember. The theme for his party was Jungle/Zoo Animals. He had one of those big "jumpers" in our front yard. The kids loved it ... so did the adults! He received so many nice presents. And, of course, he kept us all entertained with his charm and sweet disposition.

Right after his birthday, we went straight into planning for the Thanksgiving holiday. We decided not to go to Bishop to be with Randy & Leslie. Since Billy would have to work early on the morning after Thanksgiving, Billy and Becca couldn't go with us and I didn't want to face a holiday without them. So, we invited Charlie's Grandma & Grandpa Sump and Aunt Jessica to our dinner. Everything went off without a hitch. Dinner was great (even if I do say so, myself!) and everyone had a great time. After dinner, Billy set up "Guitar Hero" and we all took turns playing in the band or singing. Bill (Sr) and Dave played together and got to know each other better. Charlie had fun being with his whole family!

Rebecca and I were worried about how Charlie would react to Santa Claus. We took him shopping one day and decided to introduce him to the Santa at the Hemet Mall. I figured he would be ... like so many children his age ... afraid of Santa. WRONG!!!!! He went right to him and posed for pictures like a pro.

Becca and I baked ... and baked ... and baked. She decorated a gingerbread house from a kit we had stored for a year or two. It smelled like stale, rancid oil, so I sprinkled some cinnamon on it to cover up the foul odor. It worked! She did a wonderful job of decorating it and it became the centerpiece for a "tabletop" in our dining room. We laughed and giggled and had so much fun making all of the baked goods we would package as gifts for friends and neighbors.

Dave decorated the outside of the house with lights and moving figures ... and of course, his train. Our electric bill soared out of sight, but it was worth it to see the look on Charlie's face every time he went outside.

Billy, Becca and Charlie went to the Sump's house for a Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve. After the gift exchange, they all came over to our house and slept here so that Charlie (and his mommy) could wake up and be here early on Christmas morning. Santa Claus was very good to all of us. We had lots of gifts, but most importantly, we shared Christmas together. Charlie liked all of the toys and books he was given, but I think he would have liked empty boxes with ribbons and paper to tear off.

Next, it was time to celebrate Rebecca's 21st birthday! We went to her favorite restaurant - The Olive Garden - and invited Bill & Jeannette Sump to come along. We had a great time and then took Becca back to her house to celebrate with her friends. The next day ... Sunday ... Rebecca and I went to Soboba Casino. She took some nickles my mom had brought back from Las Vegas and a few dollars from her daddy - around $11, I think. We played the slot machines for about two hours - winning some, then losing some. It was a fun experience for us both and it cost under $20. You can't beat that!

Now, here we are, waiting to usher in the year 2009. So much has happened in this past year. We will have a lot to remember, to celebrate, and even a few things to shed some tears over. All-in-all, 2008 has been very good to us - the good things far outweigh the bad. We have each other, we are all fairly healthy, and Charlie can make even the worst day seem like heaven on earth. What's coming in 2009?

• A murder trial - anticipated for 36 years - will finally happen (Dave's brother, Billy, was murdered 36 years ago last September)
  
• Dave will retire and devote all of his time to his new business
• We - Dave & I - will go on a cruise to the Bahamas
• We will have a year of amazing adventures with each new development in Charlie's growth
• My best friend, Pat, will be battling cancer (remember to pray for her)
• The world will do its best to recover from financial disaster
• And ... please, Dear God, may we see peace?

My hope and my prayer is summed up in that last plea. Happy New Year to all!

Charlie can ...

It is just a little more than 24 hours until Charlie will have his first birthday. I can't believe a whole year has gone by since this tiny bundle entered our lives. It is difficult to remember a life without Charlie in it.

Here are just some of the things he impresses us with ...
*He waves bye-bye and says, "Buh bye"
*He blows kisses
*He says, "Hi!"
*He puts his finger in the hole in his nose and says, "Nuh." (He had discovered the hole in his nose and had his finger in it all the time, so we decided to teach him that he was touching his nose. He won't finish the word, but he gets it started with, "Nuh".)
*He says, "dog".
*He says, "papa" and "Mom-mom" and "Dad-dad". No "grandma" yet, but I keep trying!
*He crawls quite well, but isn't too interested in trying to walk yet.
*He loves to stand behind the steering wheel of the car and "drive" while he makes a motor sound.
*He calls his bottle or sippie cup his "baba". (Rebecca is weaning him from the bottle - cups only!)
*He loves to take Grandpa's glasses and hat off of him.

All he really has to do to melt my heart is give me one of his big grins. He's got Grandma wrapped around his little finger ... and I have no intention of changing that!!

Charlie's First Halloween

Celebrating Halloween with costumes and trick-or-treating is not so popular these days. However, I still remember how great it felt to get dressed up in a costume and have fun, so I'm glad Rebecca and Billy are okay with dressing Charlie in a cute little costume and take him around to a few friends, neighbors, and family for a little harmless fun.

Rebecca and I took Charlie to the Pumpkin Patch in Murrieta to get a couple of pumpkins. They had a hughe air-filled slide that Rebecca rode on with Charlie. There was a petting zoo and some other rides, but it was hot and time was slipping away so we chose our pumpkins and headed out. Billy and Becca came over with Charlie to carve pumpkins. Brandon, their housemate, came with them. While Rebecca decorated a little pumpkin for Charlie and Dave and Billy carved pumpkin masterpieces, I made chili (Rebecca's favorite!). Brandon handed out candy to the trick-or-treaters that came to the door while we got Charlie dressed in his costume. I had purchased a "Squirt" costume at Downtown Disney. (In case you don't know ... Squirt is the turtle from the animated movie, Finding Nemo.) He was too cute for words!!!!!

We took him to a couple of houses where we knew the people and then it was time for him to go to Grandpa & Grandma Sump's for some more fun.

We're already planning next year's Halloween fun!