The Charmings Are Famous ...

Okay ... well, not quite. But they are featured on our friend Andy's blog today. Mr. Andy (as How calls him) is a super creative guy. He's almost out of our crew's league ... seeing as he lives in Nashville and knows men who wear cool scarfs (his words, not mine) and if you start reading his blog ... you might just find yourself addicted. Scroll down a little to Trip Lesson #4.

The Charmings ...

This past week, our family from the great Northwest was in town. We have a wonderful exchange program worked out. They come here when it's rainy and dreary and we go there when it's 112 and we're dying to put on a light sweater. We rather enjoy the set up!
The ladies (my mom, grandma, aunt and great aunt) came over to our house last week. Joshua greeted them, "Hello ladies. Welcome to our house!" My Aunt Sonna (holding J How) refers to our children as ... The Charmings! I rather like the name so it just might stick! And on a side note ... my great Aunt Olive will be turning 91 next month. With skin like that ... please, please, please tell me I got her side of the gene pool!!!
Everyone does their part trying to convince Eli that walking is the wave of the future! Hop on board!
After the ladies left, it was time to head to the garage where we store our favorite blue engine.
What's this? Are they living up to their new name? Smiles and sharing?
One time around ... still pleasant ...
Two times around ... the pushing and squishing begins ... Three times around ... Eli puts his hands up in disgust!
Four times around ... I believe The Charmings are both done with practicing sharing for the day!
Five times around ... we're done. Not bad, folks. That is five more times than we accomplished just last week. We're making SERIOUS progress!

And On The Menu Today ...

Let me just start off by saying ... I hate cockroaches. Actually, I'm quite certain I've never met anyone who felt differently. There is nothing even remotely appealing about a cockroach. If they have a redemptive characteristic, one is certainly not coming to mind.

So last summer ... when I saw one crawl across my kitchen floor ... I dialed up the bug people. Ants, whatever. Crickets, the chirping gets on my nerves but they're harmless. COCKROACHES ... um, not in my house.

You can imagine my surprise when I opened a package from my mom a few days after the indoor cockroach sighting and found ...

A plastic, self-propelled, cockroach.

I haven't seen that cockroach since last summer. I had thought of throwing it out but the fact that my mother actually found a toy cockroach ... in Idaho ... made me want to keep it. Seriously, where do you find one of those?
Let me rephrase ... I should say, I hadn't seen that crazy roach ... until this morning. I plopped Eli in his highchair, paying no attention to the toy in his hand. Minutes later, when I came back with oatmeal ... Eli was already munching ... on a tiny bit of cockroach leg. Nice!
And let's just say that when a cockroach gets a breakfast invitation, he takes full advantage of the opportunity. That cockroach was the life of the party ... the boys tried to make cockroach faces ...
And then they tried to make cockroach sounds ...
(For those who wish I had video ..imagine a hyena mixed with the chirping of a small bird ... )
And then they tried to pass off the cockroach to me ... thanks, but I'll pass!
Breakfast with boys! Anyone out there want to loan me a girl? She could come over for breakfast ... with her Barbie collection and teach that cockroach a thing or two! You name the morning! We'll be ready!

It Was Bound To Happen ...

This is our new favorite game,  Hulabaloo.  It's FABULOUS!  The fact that I, a non-game loving kind of girl, thinks it's fun ... I'm sure makes J. How VERY happy.  

He talks of playing it ALL day long!  "Mom.  Joshua and Cake and Pap Pap and Bella and GiGi and How How and Dad and E-Why and Mommy ... we can all PLAY that game TOGETHER!  That would be so fun!"
It does require a bit of coordination and agility ... so if you're on the above list to participate ... start doing your stretches!

Even non-walkers like to participate because tossing the pieces around is just as much fun as following directions ... 

Oh wait a minute ... what's this?  Is Eli tired of perching on his toosh?  He's ready to give those leg muscles a go??

A little downward dog to steady himself ... (notice how his big toe seems to be getting a SERIOUS workout!)

And he's up!  ONE ... 

TWO...

THREE ... 

Four ... and

CRASH!

And after that attempt ... it was back to crawling the rest of the day.  Perhaps if he could just gain a bit more strength in that big toe of his ... he'd have walking in the bag!

Things Are Getting Weird 'Round These Parts ...

Ben and I were out of town for a few days ... in Kansas City (the place of my birth) for a Fellowship of Christian Athletes conference.  Staff from all over the country was there for a time of worship, fellowship and rejuvenation.  I'm not sure how rejuvenated I got since we caught a 6:25am flight there and I came home a couple days early ... on a 7am flight ... but what a fun time to see what God is doing through the arena of sports.  And staying at the Hyatt and not having to cook a single meal wasn't too shabby either! 

The FCA Golf staff ... (and a few wives)

But it was after we returned home that the real adventure started ... like J. How hooked for MINUTES watching water run down the drain - promising me he saw a MOUSE! And then there was a little more of this ... And a LOT of this ... we just call him SCREAMER now.  It seems to fit!  We keep telling him, walking will solve a lot of your stress but he prefers (as another friend put it) ... the Dial a Ride method.  Apparently, squawk loud enough and your mom comes in to scoop you up.  I guess she doesn't want to listen to all the SCREAMS!
And then there's this which happened after watching an episode of Curious George.  He was making monkey noises and mentioned his need for a bath.  Never a dull moment!
And then this ... a flashback down memory lane with pump toothpaste.  Bubblegum flavor.  

And finally ... this.  My NEW red door.  I have a thing for doors.  We even had one at our wedding ceremony.  I hunted for a picture but this is all I found:

A red door.  It just seems to make the morning a WHOLE lot happier!

Snug as a Bug in a Rug ...

So we watched a show about a bug in a rug and somehow that translated to this ...
How needed a pillow and Mook ... he insisted on complete darkness and was really rather annoyed when Eli decided sleeping on top of the rug was more fun.
I convinced E to give rug sleeping a chance (which lasted for mere seconds) ...
But Joshua was a snug as a bug in a rug and he could have stayed for hours!
If given a choice, Eli prefers kicking back in the hallway. Resting up against a comfy pillow and chewing on some treasure he found on the floor.
What a life ...
Of course, I'd need a break too after all this work ...
He's just doing his part ... during this fabulous recession ...
And maybe hinting that we need more action at this house since he left all the food coupons downstairs and brought the puppy food coupon all the way back to me.

Sorry, dude. We did that once ... once you've lived a year minus dog hair in your clothes ... you don't want to go back. Perhaps someday we'll own a self-cleaning fish? Do they make those?

I Guess We Switched Him A Bit Too Early ...

Fourth. As in ... first, second, third, fourth. That would be the percentile that Mr. Eli Bennett finds himself in when it comes to his weight. Twenty point five pounds.
I'm guessing that's why he decided that eating chalk was a good idea. Nothing like a piece of calorie packed chalk to pack on the pounds. YUMMY!
And given that he's such a chunker ... it's no wonder he's still not walking a whole bunch. Imagine the stress that kind of weight would put on his knees! You're right, Eli. Better to just take a load off and rest :)