Charles in Charge~

Here are some cutie pics of Charlie throughout the week.

We went with Mimi to "Meet the Animals" at the museum.

Charlie wanted to touch ALL the animals (including the snake, gross), so I finally let him touch the bunny.

All of Walker's clothes are being washed and put in his room. Charlie decided he wanted to "borrow" some of his socks. His pick? 3 month old sized alligator socks. Good choice! :-)

Charlie loves feeding Claire snacks. Claire looks like she loves it :/ Sorry Claire!!

Charlie decided to add a dance break to "Wheels on the Bus".

PS. Sorry for the miniature pics today.~

Goodreads~

I am always searching for a really good book to read.

So when my friend told me about the website, Goodreads, I got really excited.

This website allows you to get/give recommendations, read reviews, find out what new books are out, and see what your friends are currently reading.

It's a great site!

THIS book........

......was NOT a "good read".

It took me FOREVER to finish it, because I just couldn't connect to the story or the characters.

There are over 5 main characters. The reader finds out the back story on each character...which is a little much.

Not one character is super likeable, in my opinion.

Most of the characters have extreme backgrounds. Extreme as in, "does that really ever happen to anyone"?

I have no idea where the cover of this book came from. Maybe I was dozing during the section where strawberries played a major role in the plot of the book???

Also, and I hate to admit this, I have never read a Jane Austen novel.

Shame on me?

I've seen the movies!!! :/

Maybe I would have enjoyed it better if I had actually read an Austen novel. But, I'm thinking probably not!

If you love to read, join this website!!

Irene~

Our home was spared from the hurricane, and we feel so blessed and grateful for that.

Our lights flickered twice, and that was seriously all that happened.

I know that wasn't the case for everyone, and I'm so sorry for all of you that had to go through worse things.

What really boiled my blood was when I saw the most immature facebook statuses about the hurricane.

(And yes, I definitely just mentioned something about FB statuses in my blog.)

Several people wrote that Irene was "lame" and that they couldn't believe what a weak storm it was. "Lame" as in the hurricane didn't do anything to their home. Who in their right mind complains about something like that?

Some people complained about how mad they were that they got really prepared for the storm, and nothing happened. I'm confused by their way of thinking.

And, what makes this situation worse, is that these people are adults.

For many people on the east coast, Irene was really bad.

People with young children had no power for days. (Kinston is telling their residents to not expect it for a few more days).

A family right around the corner from my parents' house completely lost their home. It is destroyed, and they will have to rebuild from the ground up.

My cousin, Courtney in Greenville said this about the storm....

Irene is kicking butt- trees are down everywhere and are hitting everything, flooding into buildings in several places, power is out for most... as for my home, Irene has managed to peel back the roof to the wood and water is going all into the attic and therefore soaking down and leaking from the celines, walls, and light fixtures. We've run out of buckets and it is still pouring outside. Ug. Not a good day and I know so many people are worse off than we are. Keep them in your prayers.

I know that many, many other families went through devastation and pure craziness this weekend.

Here are some pictures from the storm.

Crazy. Scary.

I hope everyone is doing ok today. And thanks to everyone who is helping put back the pieces! (I know my parents who are insurance agents have been really busy helping people with the aftermath) We've been praying for you all weekend, and hopefully life will get back to normal soon!!

Wish List~

I realize I'm late in the game, but lately I have been loving some Pinterest.

I find all these cute ideas online for parties, holidays, etc., and usually just store them in a file in my email.

Pinterest is WAY better and easier than that.

One of my "boards" or categories of items is "Wish List".

Top of that list?

A pair of Christian Louboutins.

Yes, please. What a beautiful pair of shoes. I love the sparkly silver ones, but any pair of red bottom shoes will do.

They have a knock off pair at Kohls. I tried them on a few weeks ago. And of course they looked fake. And of course Charlie SPRINTED away from me while trying on the 7 inch platform shoes. I had to ditch the shoes and chase after him barefoot.

Moral of the story? Don't buy knock off shoes. Don't take a 17 month old shopping. And do NOT try on 7 inch platform shoes when you are 7 months pregnant.

But aren't these beautiful?

I hate/love you Beyonce.

Dancers Make Great Leaders~

Contemplating whether or not to put your little one in dance?

Do it!!! (Most places are starting the babies at 18 months now)

I was reading my Dance Teacher Magazine this month and came across a great article.

The editor of the magazine interviewed a former ABT dancer who spoke about careers for retired dancers.

She said, "You can teach anyone how to use a computer program. You cannot teach people to be punctual, to take criticism well, to work well singly and in groups, and to understand deadlines. Those are things every dancer walks into any interview with."

So, go on and buy your daughter that tutu she has been asking for, and dance it out this fall!! By spring, she'll be looking like this.

JK. But maybe one day!!~

I hope they call me on a mission~

Charlie is ready to be a missionary!!!

He has been obsessed with carrying around Noel's Book of Mormon lately.

And loves reading it, too!
These pictures make my heart melt!~

Umstead~

I get a weekly email from Baby Center giving me parenting tips and insights to the development of my baby at his particular age.

I loved the email I got a few weeks ago: What Every Toddler Needs to Thrive

One of the ideas they suggest for moms is to TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES!!

Love this one.

So, that's why I took myself to the Umstead Spa to get a mommy to be massage.

This place is heaven.

Ask for a gift card to the Umstead for Christmas, or your birthday, or just because.

And make sure you do something this week to take care of YOU!~

Getting Ready!!~

8 weeks til baby comes!!!

This weekend was devoted to getting the boys' rooms ready.

Noel, Marsha, Laurie, and Courtney painted both boys' rooms last Wednesday. It looks great!! I'm not a big paint person, and prefer walls to be neutral, but I LOVE their rooms. Pictures coming soon.

Mom brought Walker's crib up on Saturday, and Noel and I hung the curtains later that day.

The walls are still bare of pictures and what not, but I'm working on that this week.

I found this on Pinterest, and fell IN LOVE with it. I'm hoping to get it all together for Charlie's room.

Source: 1.bp.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Everything is coming together nicely and I'm getting so excited for baby boy.

We also had a party for my sis in law, Laurie, who is going to study abroad in London for the semester!!

Lucky Laurie!!! Wish I could visit!

Hope you all had a great weekend!~

Proposals~

Being the major sports fan he is, I was terrified that Noel was going to propose to me like this.

I am SO that girl.

But, thank goodness he was not that guy.

Maybe some people like the idea, but I think being proposed to on a jumbotron would be a nightmare.

Noel's proposal was actually pretty fairy tale like. He did a great job.

Hope you all have a GREAT weekend!!~

Charlie's Cape~

Charlie decided that he wanted to wear his bath towel as a cape.

He played in it, ate in it, and walked around the house in it all afternoon.

Isn't he a cutie?!

Thank you Twilight~

I received an email from Noel yesterday with the subject line saying,

Thank you Twilight for making the world a better place

I got really excited, thinking he was sending me some inside scoop on the next movie or a picture of Robert Pattinson.

Nope.

I got a link to this article.

Self-proclaimed 'vampire' allegedly breaks into woman's apartment

Monday, August 15, 2011

Lyle Bensley, 19, is accused of breaking into a woman's apartment on Galveston's Seawall Boulevard

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national/world

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GALVESTON, TX -- A Galveston man is under arrest following a bizarre incident in a woman's apartment over the weekend.

Lyle Bensley, 19, is accused of breaking into a woman's apartment in the 7800 block of Seawall Boulevard early Saturday morning. According to Galveston Police Captain Jeff Heyse, Bensley, who was wearing only boxers at the time, hissed and growled at the resident while biting her. The woman managed to get away and called 911.

Bensley was arrested a short time later and reportedly told police he was a vampire. He has been charged with burglary of a habitation, intending to commit a felony. Bond has been set at $40,000.

Captain Heyse said Bensley was referred to a deputy who handles mental health issues.

The woman suffered minor injuries.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

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FREAK!!!!

Do I believe that Edward and Jacob are real. Yes.

Do I believe that I'm an actual vampire. No.

Let's figure out what's real and what isn't people!

All this vampire talk has me very, very excited for Breaking Dawn!!!

Here's the trailer.

Can't wait for November 18!!~

Working, Walking, and Wedding Weekend!~

We had a fantastic, crazy, busy weekend!!

On Friday, Charlie and I helped my sister, Jessica move into her condo.

I can't believe she's going to be in college this year!!!

We cleaned, shopped, and got most everything ready for her to start in a few weeks.

She'll be living with my brother until he graduates at the end of the year. Let's just say that place needed a female touch.

I got rid of his "animal" friends who had all decided to die on his window sill, and when I vacuumed his rug, it sounded like I was vacuuming over gravel.

Disgusting...but when I left, the place was almost decent. Here's to a brand new, CLEAN school year!

On Saturday, the Young Women in our church did a half marathon! I'm so proud of them.

Susy E. did a great job planning the walk. I wasn't able to walk with them (not with this belly in that heat), but I was able to coordinate the volunteers (who were amazing), and met the girls as they reached their final destination...the temple!!! What a wonderful morning.

Noel and I then went to Anica's beautiful wedding at the Washington Inn.

The wedding was beautiful, the reception was great, and the bride looked incredible.

I didn't get a picture of her, BUT I did get a picture of me and Anna.

Anna was one of my bridesmaids and I love her!!!! This picture looks slightly different than the ones we took at my wedding :-)

On Sunday, we went to church in the morning, had a good afternoon snooze, and then went to Jessie's graduation dinner.

Jessie is one of Charlie's favorite people, and I'm so sad she's going off to BYU for college. (Excited for her too...a little)

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Mimi Weekend~

Mimi came to visit this weekend!!!

We had a wonderful with her.

Charlie would not let her out of his sight!

If Mimi went to the bathroom, he followed her and waited by the door for her to come out.

Wherever Mimi went, Charlie went!

We loved having her visit!~

Male Vocalists~

The Jonas Brothers. Ever heard of them :)

I have 2 boys (well, almost), and have to make just one more boy before starting my own JoBros group!!

I haven't told Noel about my brilliant idea yet. I'm sure he'll be on board :/

Anderson Bros, Anderbros, Brothers Anderson.

Yeah, I need to do some work on the name.

I didn't consider any of the Jonas Brothers to be "real" artists, until I saw Nick Jonas on the 25th Anniversary of Les Miserables.

He's not the best Marius, but I thought he was still really good.

I've been thinking about artists that Charlie needs to start studying:

Josh Groban

I play this every day in the car so Charlie can start learning how to match pitch.

A little Buble.

And some John Legend.

Great male vocalists!

Happiness~

I found this quote in the July 2011 Oprah Magazine, and thought it was just great.

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."

Beautiful, right?

And goes along great with this friendship post.

As you go about your day today, think about who makes you happy...but more importantly if you are a person who makes others happy!~

The Favorite Child~

We pretend "the favorite child" doesn't exist, but we all know it does.

This is one of my concerns about having 2 children. I KNOW I will love Walker just as much as I love Charlie, but right now I'm borderline obsessed with Charlie (ok maybe all the way obsessed with him).

Parents say they don't have a favorite, but we all know they do.

Some parents only think it, but many parents actually SHOW that they have a favorite, whether they realize it or not. This goes for grandparents/grandchildren as well.

According to this article, it stinks to be the unfavored child AND the golden child. I think that's completely ridiculous. It's always better to be the favored child, right?!

I actually have to admit that I don't think my parents have a favorite. We all joke that it's James, but secretly we all think we're the favorite. I guess that's a good thing?!

With some families, however, it is super obvious who the favorite child is.

So what makes a "favorite/golden" child?

Is it the 1st child? Because you could never love another like you do the 1st? Hmm...not with some families.

Is it the child that "needs" you the most? Noel and I have talked about this before and relate it to the story of the Prodigal Son. It doesn't necessarily have to be a situation where the child is wayward, but sometimes parents favor the child who doesn't have other friends, or needs their help ALL the time, or is always around. The problem with parents favoring this child over a child who is more independent is that the more independent child will eventually start feeling less loved (obviously) and will start resenting the parent.

On the flip side of the previous statement, is the favorite child the one who has the most "accomplishments"?

I'm not really sure what constitutes the favorite child, but I do know that it is different with every family.

I was reading different articles on this subject, and found a comment by a reader that I really liked.

"I am a mother of three sons, all grown now. Looking back I realized that each of them had a much different personality than the other. After all, if they were all the same, life would be boring right?! However at different stages of their lives I did get that special twinkle in my eyes from one. But never one ALL the time. My oldest was a hyper child, my second a laid back boy, the third a goofy, funny boy. The oldest is a workaholic as an adult, the second a guy with strong opinions and convictions, while the youngest is a quiet, secretive, young man. Even now as adults, at different times one would bring a special twinkle in my eye, but never the same one. Therefore, no I don’t have a favorite child. I have favorite, selective times with each individual son."

I think that's a real, honest answer.

I am praying every night that I will be able to show my sons an equal amount of love.

I'm trying to think of what to do in order to make this a reality.

1. Spend individual time with each child.

2. Pray for each child individually, by name every night (in my personal prayers and with them so they can hear me say it)

3. That's all I have right now

I also know that many parents don't realize they are favoring one child over another. So, hopefully family members will keep me in check on this (which, I am a Walker, so I'm sure an honest opinion will not be hard to find). If you find me blogging or talking only about Charlie, give me a ring. If the only pictures I post are only of Walker, let me know!! :-)

I can't wait to have 2 baby boys, and I hope they know it!!!!!~

Pillow Change Up~

I really like my living room, but I'm so over the pillows on my couch.

I don't hate them, but I'm ready for a change.

Something with color....something different.

I love these pillows from Pottery Barn. (Of course I do)

The white does scare me a little.

I went to JoAnn's a while back to look for fabric for curtains.

This was a big deal for me. I hate JoAnn's with a passion. It's the only thing/place that raises my blood pressure. Too much to look at with not enough help.

I fell in love with this fabric.

Mary Jane Confetti Fabric

But, of course they only had about an inch left, and wouldn't be getting any more of it in.

So, I'm on the hunt for this fabric and for a pillow make over!

Any ideas??~