Who stole the cookies?

Yesterday I bought a package of Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies for desert. I left them on the counter and Charlie found them this morning. I knew this because there were five half eaten cookies on the floor in the living room. The package that the cookies came in was no where to be seen. So I asked her, "Charlie, what did you do with the cookies?" "Oh, I put them in the freezer." This sounds like a very funny reply but only to those that do not understand a good "cookie." Most of the store bought cookies that come into our house are the fudge striped ones. We all love them but we like them cold. So, all fudge striped cookies do belong in the freezer. Since yesterday was the only time that Charlie has seen any other kind of cookie besides the fudge stripe kind I completely understand why she felt that the cookies belong in the freezer. So, friends, where do you keep your cookies?

Fe Fi Fo

Everyone knows the famous words of the giant in Jack and the beanstalk. At my house Fe Fi Fo is a game that we play. It has become my saving grace. The conversation goes

Dusty: "Put your shoes up and it's nap time."

Charlie (in typical 3-year old style at the top of her lungs throwing herself to the ground) "I don't want to take a nap. It's not nap time."

Me: "Do you want to Fe Fi Fo?"

Charlie: "Yeah, mommy!"

She takes her shoes off, puts them on the shelf where they go and runs down the hall to her room. To explain this wonderful two person rhyming game one person starts on one end of the house. This is the "Giant." The other person runs to the other end of the house to hide. The giant proceeds to that hiding spot stomping his/her feet and saying "Fe fi ___." This could be any number of things:

Fe fi fup, Do you want your cup?

Fe fi farlie, I smell a yummy little girl charlie.

Fe fi fibs, I want to eat some yummy ribs.

Fe fi fanket, Let me cover you with your blanket.

And of course many of these made up rhymes send Charlie into a fit of giggles especially when Dusty tries to eat her ribs. So thank you to the writer of Jack and the beanstalk! Thank you for this silly little rhyme. Fe fi fo, our family giant game makes life with a three-year old so much easier.

the apple tree

Tuesday we spent the day at the state fair. While there, Charlie got to pick apples from this great little apple tree. Tonight she had taken all of her alphabet letters off the refrigerator pretending that they were apples and she was picking them off the tree. She disappeared into the entertainment room playing with her "apples". When I went to check on her she was standing on the arm of our "high" chair. Now to explain this I would have to explain our entertainment room. As you can see in the picture below, we have a box that stands 2 1/2 feet off the floor. It goes the entire length of the back part of the room. On this box is our desk with computer and a lazy boy recliner that rocks. Charlie calls this the "high" chair and the lazy boy on the floor the "low" chair. So, in this older picture you can see Charlie climbing in the high chair. Now look closely at the metal curtain rod in the picture. Now imagine, that you can see Charlie standing on the arm of the "high" chair reaching towards the metal curtain rod that is laced with refrigerator alphabet magnets.

So in order to keep Charlie safe I drew an apple tree on the back of our front door which is a metal door. I figured that if all else fails and I can not get the washable marker off the door it would be a really good reason to have to paint the dirty thing. Tada, Charlie and her apple tree. Cute, huh?

Now, for the whole reason for this post. I was humbled earlier this week by a comment a friend made about Dusty and I being fun parents and how we welcome imagination and creativity. I had never really thought of us that way, especially me. I scrapbook things like this so that when my kids get older they will remember that "Mom" was not always that crazy lady that yelled, lost her temper, and battled depression. I want them to remember that she could really be fun and relaxed. But as I was drawing the tree on the door I remembered the comment by my friend Jonnelle and I thought maybe she is right. What normal parent would encourage their child to "write on the wall." Thank you Jonnelle for this piece of encouragement that just brightened my day.

Up your nose

Every child is instructed that you do not put anything in your ears, nose, eyes and so on. Charlie is no different. Well, last night we had to blow this piece of apple out of her nose. You can tell how HUGE this apple is b/c it is sitting on a scrabble tile! Thank God we did not have to go to the emergency room this time.

I use to take Charlie's picture each month sitting in this chair. I thought it was only fair to do the same for Brantley. As you can see from his facial expressions he is not as thrilled with this photo shoot as his sister the ham.

Rainy Days

I love that Charlie loves to play in the rain. When Dusty and I first got married he poured this small concrete patio so that we could have a small table and chair for the front yard. 8 years later we still have no patio furniture but this has become the BEST place to play in the rain and puddles. The concrete is not even so there is about four places where the rain makes great puddles. As you can tell, my rock garden is a little overrun with weeds but Charlie doesn't mind. She still loves to collect the rocks.

Growing up too fast

This is a picture of Charlie last September. We had a birthday party for Emily b/c we didn't make it to September Fest at the Governor's mansion. Earlier this week I told Charlie that Emily's birthday was this Saturday. My 3 year old is no longer a little. She is way too grown up. "Mommy Emily can't have a birthday. She is not real." I thought I would get at least one more party out of Emily b/f Charlie thought she was too big. So, we will not be having a second birthday party and I am so sad!!