Do You Happiness?

A couple of weeks ago JR was out shopping with his niece Charlotte and son Emerson. The poor children were getting restless and tired after being carted down aisle after aisle of reasonably priced bulk goods and curbing their appetites with the sample tables at Costco. Our little Emerson is a two-year-old food connoisseur who not only eats to live, but lives to eat. He has tasted and enjoyed plates from around the world and has a great appreciation for all things edible.

At one particular Costco sample table his cousin Charlotte did not approve of whatever it was she was given and handed it back to Zio JR, who then discarded it in the trash. Emerson found this wasteful act to be absolutely insulting and decided right then and there to release the effects of his exhaustion and restless energy into a classic, textbook-style tantrum. The head was thrown back, tears began to stream down the red face, and his mouth remained wide open, blaring out one constant sound similar to a siren with a frequency that only a person under the age of three wouldn't feel ashamed of.

His daddy told him he needed to be happy and that, "I'm happy, Charlotte's happy, and we're all full of happiness."

Emerson immediately stopped crying, looked his daddy straight in the face and with his voice taken up about 100 decibels higher than a normal speaking voice, responded with, "NO DADDY, MOMMY NOT HAVE PENIS, CHARLOTTE NOT HAVE PENIS! DADDY HAVE A PENIS, EMERS HAVE A PENIS, AND BABY CHARLIE HAVE A PENIS!"

I'm sure JR's fellow Costco shoppers wondered what kind of argument he was having with his son . . . and I'm glad I wasn't there for anyone to make their own conclusions about.

In other news:

Charlie is now six months old and I don't believe it even as I write it. I love everything about this sweet little boy of mine. He sits, he's crawling a little, and he started eating solid food. The milestones are bitter-sweet for me as his growth is coming faster than I am emotionally prepared to handle. One day too soon he will be in the back of a shopping cart eating Costco samples and yelling about the family's genitalia. . .

Charlie Visits Chicago

I am currently not a very exciting person with anything interesting to report about in my life right now. So, all I can say is thank goodness I have friends to vicariously live through like Hailey and Steve, a dancer/teacher and scientist respectively, who are living it up in Chicagoland. I am proud to call these wonderful people my friends and grateful I could spend some quality time visiting their family and seeing their new life. My first trip to the Windy City was also my first time taking Charlie on a plane (which he did fantastic on) and first time leaving Emerson at home. He was able to spend some quality time with daddy, and despite letting him come "work" in the wood shop, dressing him in Santa Clause socks in October, and letting him stay up to watch movies, I think JR did a great job running the household and keeping our son in one peace while I was away.

What a beautiful city. I'm upset that I didn't bring a camera to photograph such a photogenic place, but the baby was enough to cart around without having to also lug the camera.

I felt pretty privileged when Steve got us into the museum and aquarium for FREE. It always pays to have a good scientist as a friend. Their four-year-old son Jack took me on a very thorough tour of the Mummy exhibit. It was awesome.

I took this to send to little Emers, who currently has a dinosaur obsession.

Come visit me soon, Hailey! I want you to make me Navajo tacos and yummy cookies while we stay up late talking until we pass out. Remember, "GET YOUR CAMERAS READY!"

I loved the Leavitts. I loved the view. I loved the architecture. I loved the food. I loved Chicago.

A New Season

The boys had to celebrate the first big snowfall of the season at the beginning of last week. They said they were going out to build a snowman. They built a "Snow Manny."

His dad took the whole front yard of snow to make him the mammoth he requested, but he cried in the picture because of a cold derrière.

Halloween

How many more years do I have left to force my kids to wear the costumes I pick out and make for them? This year I had to work around my desire to draw a little Charlie Brown curl on Charlie's bald head. I was afraid that Emerson would realize his little homemade Snoopy costume wasn't as cool as he originally thought when he saw another child dressed as Buzz Lightyear. He loved seeing several Buzz costumes, but luckily never said anything about wanting to be Buzz. What a good little sport he is.

We went to a neighborhood party for little tikes Friday morning. Emerson was Snoopy and I went as Charlie's little sister, Sally Brown. I wasn't too convincing apparently, as I was asked if I was an 80's rocker and Madonna. When I told Emerson that I was Sally Brown he even said, "No, mommy's pink."

Charlie and his chums:

I LOVE looking at babies helplessly dressed in silly costumes!
Kids on candy:

Emerson was ecstatic when I told him that we were actually planning on walking around the neighborhood to knock on doors and collect candy from the neighbors. He couldn't get enough of it, even in the rain. We all ate more candy than we should have and watched It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. I had to show Emerson the 1960's cartoon characters we dressed as.