Future Drummers???

Nothing like a good noise toy!

Besides teaching Charlie how to beat on the drum, Maddox is also teaching him how to SHARE - one drumstick for each. Good job, guys!!

Easter 2011

The week before Easter was a whirlwind of activity involving several concerts, conferences, solo/ensemble contest, rehearsals, services, and of course, excited kids. We squeezed in an egg hunt, dinner, and egg coloring with Maddox on Wednesday night.

Last year's hunt was outside, so he had to discover all of the indoor hiding places.

Corey gave lots of clues (hmmmmm, that bunny needs to learn some new tricks).

Jelly beans fit well between the piano keys,

and on the book shelf.
After dinner, it was time to dye a few eggs.

Pink is a good color!

Looks good!

Ahhh, the blue is really cool! Unfortunately, I had to leave for a rehearsal, so the pictures stop here.
Fast forward to Sunday afternoon and family pictures.

Charlie was a little sleepy.

Andy, Jenna, Charlie, and Crosby (the dog)

It's hard to get everyone looking in the right direction, when one family member is a dog and the other is a baby!

Paul and Joyce

Chuck and Jane

Charlie's demonstrated his latest trick -
"Oh, it's been a HARD day!"

Then, it was time for the outdoor egg hunt. The weather was sunny and mild, so we all headed outside to watch Charlie and Matthew hunt for eggs.

Charlie got the idea right away. However, he was more interested in opening the eggs than looking for more.

Here's another one!

They make good rattles, too.

He took off with Jenna in tow. Next year, he'll be on his own!

He plopped himself right in the middle of the hosta bed.

Matthew found all of his, too!

There were a few presents inside, too. Charlie was more interested in the wrapping paper. After the hunt and the presents, I got a little busy with the dinner, and the camera got lost in the shuffle - no more pictures until...

clean-up time. Sandy and Joyce were great helpers!

It was great once again to spend time with family and friends! Our next gatherings will be coming up soon when we celebrate Charlie's 1st birthday, then Teddy and Angie's wedding, and finally Joyce's 60th birthday! Whew, what a busy spring!

Shower for Angie!

My nephew, Teddy, and his long-time fiance, Angie, are getting married in May! We are so happy to officially welcome Angie to the family (although she's already been a part of it for a really long time). My sister, Joyce, and I gave a shower for her last week at Joyce's home in Waconia. It turned out to be a bad day for lots of the invited guests, but you don't need a big crowd to have a good time!

Charlie came along, although he was the only guy in attendance (Paul hung out downstairs, but came up when the food was served).
Joyce and Pat (mother of the groom)


Charlie practiced his gift-opening skills for his upcoming 1st birthday.

He was a good helper!

He kept us all entertained!

We had to pose for a family photo.

The food was great, too! If you look real carefully, you can see Joyce in one mirror and me in the other, both of us taking pictures - ha! I'm sure we'll have our cameras handy at the wedding, too!

We're all looking forward to May 14th!

Phebe

Here are a few current pictures of Phebe in Florida. They are really little since I saved them from Kate's Facebook posts from her mobile phone, but Phebe's cute smile still shows!

Love the socks!

Ahhhh, look at that long hair! Phebe and her puppy!

St. Patrick's Day - so cute!

On the way to the beach.

Wow! That sunshine looks great, and so does the little girl soaking it up! :-)

(Looks like she still fits in her Minnesota swimsuit.)

Maddox

After looking back at my last few posts, I've found that most of the pictures are of Charlie. It seems it's very easy to get cute pictures of a baby, but getting a 4-year old to cooperate for a picture is another story. I still try, though! These pictures of Maddox were all taken at Jenna's birthday party a few weeks ago.

He was posing perfectly here, but my camera was a little too slow - he moved!

"Hmmmmm, things sound a little funny with stacking cups on my ears." "My voice sounds funny when I talk into one, too."

Dress up is fun, but a purple pom-pom, ski mask, and Twins sweat bands? Where does he come up with this stuff??

Rockin' !!

I also tried to get a good shot with Corey - looks like neither one is cooperating here!

Ahh, that's a little better.

My motto: "Never give up."

Sit 'n Spin

Whenever Charlie comes to visit, I try to find some new ways to entertain him. Last week, we brought out Phebe's rocking horse and Sit'n' Spin from about 7 years ago. He didn't want anything to do with the rocking horse, but he thought it was pretty cool to spin in circles.

Those buttons make music, too. Yeah - another noise toy!

He didn't even seem to get too dizzy. However, he decided it might be more fun to turn it into a Walk 'n Spin.

When Charlie lost interested (see him taking off in the background?), Jenna had to give it a try, too!

Hide 'n Seek

Charlie seems to discover new tricks every time we see him.

Last week it was "hide 'n seek." OK, ready to hide.

Off he goes, heading for that little space between the couch and the book shelf...

Checking to see if we're watching, and waiting for the big question:

"Where's Charlie?"

Peek...

Here's Charlie!

All tuckered out after all that fun. He gives the best hugs!