Charlie at Ten Months...

Charles Davis... you are ten months old! 

You are such a happy boy and always have a smile on your face.  You are even more mobile than before but not yet walking.  You cruise along the couch and have no problem pulling up on any furniture or even against the wall. We will catch you standing on your own for a few seconds so your balance continues to get better.

You weigh 20 pounds and are wearing size 12 month clothes.  You are taking 4 bottles a day with 7 ounces in each. You are also eating three times a day and an afternoon snack.  You LOVE puffs and have no problem eating those.  However, you do not seem too interested in other foods that you would pick up so we continue to spoon feed you baby food for your meals.  I continue to place things in front of you and I know one day you'll show more of an interest in eating solids.

Sleeping is getting better and you go down between 7:30-8 at night and can usually make it until 4 or 5 before waking up.  We will usually give you a bottle and sometimes you go back to sleep or you may be up for the day. You are also taking two naps a day.  Usually you go down around 10 am and will sleep two hours and then take another shorter nap in the afternoon.

Your personality is really coming out and you are so different than your brother!  You are aggressive, fearless and such a determined little boy.  You love to wrestle with your brother and at this point Henry just laughs.  I imagine that will change in a few years when you really are beating him up :)

Speaking of Henry, you absolutely adore your brother and he feels the same way about you.  We love watching the two of you interact and you both get so excited to see each other in the mornings.  You constantly want to play with his toys which doesn't always go over well....

You love any type of ball and love to chase it around the room.  You are also really good about throwing the ball and have great hand eye coordination at this age.

You also love to be outside.  Even if it's when your brother is pushing you in his dump truck :)

At ten months you do not have any teeth and I was sure you would have at least a few based on the amount of drooling you've been doing the past few months.  I have to say I love your gummy grin though so I'm OK if you hold out a little longer.

Bath time is always a favorite time for you, especially if it involves your brother.  The two of you splash and giggle and water will be all over the room.  Hard to get mad though when I see how much fun you're having.

Charlie boy, we love you to the moon and back and love seeing your personality shine.  Looking forward to watching you grow!

Charlie's Baptism

Charlie was baptized back in August and it was such a wonderful day celebrating our sweet boy.  The service was at 11 and we were thankful that most of our family was able to attend.  Several others were being baptized that day and when we were waiting in line up front I was a little nervous how Charlie would do.  He started "chatting" and making motor boat sounds and I was glad we had brought the pacifier up there with us to keep him quiet until his turn.  Henry was also up there with us and did such a great job.  After Charlie was baptized the pastor turned him to the congregation and he gave such a great smile to everyone.  It was definitely a moment I won't forget!

Ryan and Henry before we left for church - I love this picture of the two of them!

All smiles before the service!

After the service we had everyone back over to our house for lunch.  Charlie slept for some of his party and then was a little shy when he woke up.  He seems to be pretty timid with a crowd but Henry didn't have any issues as usual.  Henry loved having other kids around to play with him and spent most of the afternoon running around outside.

Nana brought Henry some new toy horses and he loved it!! 

Tired boy after a big morning... 

He was so excited about his new "barn" - Also love that he has an Oklahoma band-aid on his knee :) 

Emily and Alexis with Charlie 

Love this of Henry - hot, sweaty, playing with his drill and annoyed that I'm making him take a picture... all boy for sure!

Charlie at Nine Months

Charles Davis... you are nine months old!

You turned nine months old last Saturday and I'm having a hard time believing it.  Not too much longer and we'll be planning your first birthday party!

Monthly pictures in your chair are no longer possible.  I attempted a few and quickly realized that I would not get any pictures of you posing with a smile and that it was very likely you would do a nose dive into the floor if I didn't have my hands on you.  We decided to move to the crib for pictures :)

You weigh about 19 pounds and are pure muscle!  You are wearing size 9 and 12 month clothes and wearing the last of the size 3 diapers we have.  You are taking 5 bottles a day and are eating baby food three times a day.  You are finally able to eat puffs without gagging but still don't have much of an interest in actual food.  You do not have any teeth yet but I'm thinking soon considering how much you are drooling!

You are happy, happy, happy and I love when we get notes from daycare saying how much you love to smile and laugh.  It's never easy leaving you all day but it helps when I know that you are doing so well and seem to be so loved by the ladies taking care of you.

You had another case of Hand Foot Mouth this past month and thankfully it wasn't anything near like the last time.  You actually had a low grade fever one Sunday and that Monday I had a call from school saying you had a few spots on your feet and around your chin.  A few other kids in your class had this and you picked it up as well.  It didn't seem to phase you though as you were all smiles as usual :)

This past month we had you baptized!  We had attempted a few months ago but due to your first and much more severe case of Hand Foot Mouth we put it off until August.  It was such a great day and we were so blessed to share this special day with family.

You have a new favorite game of peek-a-boo!  You love to hide behind the wall and pop your head out with the biggest grin.  You also love to play this with a blanket and you cover your face when we ask "Where's Charlie?!?"

You started crawling last month and this month you are cruising along the couch and coffee table. We have also caught you pulling away from the table and standing on your own for a few seconds. It's hard for me to believe but I think you'll be walking in the next 6 weeks or so.  You've even started climbing the stairs which scares me to death.  You are hitting these milestones too quickly for me but I know you are just trying to keep up with your big brother.

Bath time is a favorite of yours and you could stay in there forever  You love to splash around and laugh and you love it even more if Henry joins you.  The bathroom walls (and my clothes) are always soaked when we get you it.

You absolutely adore your big brother.  He loves to drive his Lightening McQueen car around the island and you love to chase him.  You are both giggling and squealing and it's so fun to watch you interact.  You are constantly trying to keep up with him and want to be right beside him at all times.

You have started noticing (more like chewing) books but your favorite toy is any type of ball.  You love to push a ball around the room and squeal as you crawl really fast to go get it.  They say you do this at daycare all day long and even push balls back and forth between another little boy.

I can't avoid the sleep update and unfortunately it's about the same as always.  Nothing consistent and sometimes you sleep through the night but not often.  You typically make it until 3 or 4 am and we will either give you a paci and rock you back to sleep or give you a bottle.  We can typically tell by your cry if you are hungry or not.  If you take a bottle you will normally sleep until 6:30 or 7 but if you sleep all night you're normally up for the day between 5 and 5:30.

Charlie boy, this has been such a great month and we love seeing your personality come out.  You have the best smile and are such a sweet, loving little baby.  Love you and looking forward to what's to come!

Lake Michigan Summer Vacation

Earlier this spring we received a call from one of our brother in laws asking us if we wanted to vacation with them this summer to Lake Michigan.  A chance to escape the Houston heat in July?? We quickly said yes and I'm so thankful for that decision as it was one of the best trips we've had in awhile.  They had never been to Michigan but had heard great things about the area and their only requirement when looking for a vacation rental was on the water.  They ended up finding a house in Manistee, MI and it did not disappoint.  The house was a little outdated on the inside but the outside more than made up for the the small shower and crummy beds.

I have to admit I was very anxious about traveling with two little ones and all the "gear" that we required but surprisingly, it wasn't that bad.  We had two huge suitcases, two car seats, two strollers, two carry on bags and golf clubs.  We could have taken one less stroller since Henry decided he was too big for that and wanted to walk everywhere.  Lesson learned.

I was also pretty anxious on how the flight would go and the plan was for Charlie and I to sit in the single seat and Ryan and Henry to be across the aisle from us.  Our plans changed slightly when they had to move us due to the number of breathing masks above each seat so I ended up with both boys and Ryan got off the hook.  Thankfully both boys were great!  Charlie quickly fell asleep as soon as we took off and Henry was pretty content watching the movie Planes on the iPad.

Henry did get a little restless after a while but eventually fell asleep as well :)

We flew into Grand Rapids, MI and had another two hour drive to Manistee.  Both boys did pretty well again except for the last 20 minutes.  I think we were all a little restless and eager to get there after a long day of traveling. The rest of the crew was waiting outside when we pulled up and we immediately went out back and down the stairs to the beach.  This was Henry's first time in the sand and he seemed to love it.

The view from our backyard was spectacular and one of my favorite memories from the trip was watching this beautiful sunset the first night we were there.  All of the kids were running around in the backyard, the temperature was perfect, we had music on and a cold drink in our hands.  It was definitely a good start to the week :) 

Henry was a little shy when we first arrived but quickly warmed up to this crew.  It didn't take long until he was right in the mix and hanging with the older boys. 

A perfect spot to watch the sunset...

Having a blast with cousins!

We woke up Saturday morning and headed to the local Farmer's Market.  We picked up blueberries and cherries among other things for the week.  

After the market we walked around town and picked up hats for the kids.  It was 3 for $10 dollars so they each picked a classy neon trucker hat :)  

That afternoon we loaded up a few bags full of towels, sunscreen, hats, snacks and a few beers and headed down to the water.    

We had the BEST afternoon playing in the sand, in the water and lounging in our chairs. The water was a frigid 62 degrees and while the kids didn't seem to mind getting in, I barely got in past my knees. 

One of my favorite pictures from the trip.  Henry was smiling ear to ear and having the best time.  

Charlie even got in on the trucker hat action :) 

Nothing better than an afternoon nap on the beach while listening to the waves. 

The next day we drove up to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park and did a driving tour in the park and made a few stops.  While the driving tour was a little touristy, the views were pretty amazing. We managed to get a photo op with this crazy crew.  

We also snapped this picture while at the Dunes.  I can't say it's the best picture we have taken but I still love it.  It sums up the stage of life we are in right now.  Henry was a mess and was more interested in touching Ryan with his candy cane and Charlie wouldn't get his fingers out of his mouth.  I'm also pretty sure I didn't even shower that morning but it didn't matter.  We were having a good time and enjoying the time all together.  

Ryan and Chris played golf that afternoon and Robyn and I drove all 6 kids back home from the Dunes.  It was a memorable drive (think babies crying, boys fighting and us pulling over to mediate the argument) but we made it back and opened up a cold one and took the crew down the beach to burn off some energy.  With the two of us and 6 kids in/near the water we weren't able to take our eyes off them and take many pictures but I did manage to snap this one of sweet Charlie enjoying the waves. 

We enjoyed an easy hot dog dinner and let the kids ride bikes and play golf before going to bed.  It doesn't get any better than playing golf in the backyard without a shirt while watching this sunset, right?? 

The next morning we lounged around the house and then went to a nearby park.  It was an awesome wooden park that was great for all ages.

Charlie woke up for a bit and enjoyed some time on the swing :)

We picked up a few kites at the dollar store and went out to the beach for the afternoon.  It was another beautiful day with perfect temps.

After a few hours both Henry and Charlie took naps on the beach :)

I attempted to get a picture of both boys on the beach looking at the camera but I should have known that wouldn't happen.  I had to settle for some action pics which I think are pretty cute anyways.

Charlie was at least up for smiling at the camera!

Our attempt at a group shot of all the cousins.  Henry was not happy that we made him stop playing with his dump truck and take a picture.  I do love this picture though as everyone looks so happy... minus Henry :)

That evening we made a campfire on the beach which was another favorite memory of mine.  It was so beautiful to watch the sunset that night as we cooked smores.

I'm also in love with the next two pictures of Charlie.  It doesn't get much better than this :)

The next day was our last full day and the big boys played 9 holes with Ryan and Chris.  I wasn't so sure how Henry would do but he loved it.  He claimed it as "the best day ever!"

We thought it was going to rain that afternoon but it held off.  We went down to the beach for a little bit but it was really windy and even chilly.  I was hoping to get another picture of our boys but once again, Henry was not cooperating.  Charlie is always up for a smile though.

All in all, it was a fabulous vacation and I'm so thankful we were able to go.  Yes, at times it got a little crazy but for the most part it was relaxing and just what we needed.  I'm hoping we can continue this tradition and head back that way next summer!