Guess who learned to clap?!

Hint: It's not an adult.

All I can say is finally! I think Charlie has known for a while but was holding out on us. Especially since I've put him through clapping boot camp for the last several months. :) Last night, he decided he wanted to just go for it.



Now that he claps, he's a clapping machine!! When we ask him to clap, he literally puts down his toy and starts clapping. It's so adorable!

MOPS Gymnastics Playdate!

Summer Shots

Here's a final picture of Matt in his glasses before heading into his Lasik appointment. He will definitely NOT miss wearing glasses. His surgery went well, and except for a slight complication with his right eye (which has already almost resolved), his eyes seem to be healing well. Matt's been really diligent with his eye drops and tears and has also been good about wearing sunglasses when he's outside. He even wore a pair of safety glasses last night while he was out doing owl suveys until midnight! Matt made so many comments over the weekend and since the surgery about how nice it is to be able to see clearly without any eye aids. His morning routine will be simplified (once he stops with the eye drops), and no more fighting to get his contacts in his eyes in the wee hours of the morning before heading out hunting. Matt's so happy with the results!

I bought this little wagon on clearance at Target thinking that Charlie could pull it around outside. Well, it hasn't made it outside yet. Charlie and Matt are having too much fun with it inside! Tiny little cheeks for a tiny little wagon. :)

Getting in one more ride on his ride-on toy (what's it really called?) before bedtime. Yep, long-sleeved, footed jammies in the summer. If it's any consolation, they're the thin kind from Children's Place. When we sleep with the swamp cooler on, it can get down to mid-60's in the house by morning unless we get up and shut it off in the night. Plus, Charlie rarely stays covered. PLUS, these jammies are so cute.

This was taken the day after my birthday, but I wanted to throw it out there because I think it's just the sweetest expression on Charlie's face; confidence, joy, excitement, love.

Baby Swim

Swimming with my little boy at baby swim! The class was three days a week for three weeks, and each day at our swim lesson time (10:30), it was usually 87 degrees or higher.

Riding the waterslide! Matt took Charlie down first, but his swim trunks didn't slide very well on the waterslide, so he didn't go very fast at all. However, when I took Charlie down, we went SO FAST I could hardly hold myself upright (due to lack of abs lately!). I think Charlie enjoyed the slower ride with Matt much more.

Matt took an early lunch and joined us at the pool. How sweet is that?! Matt job is a blessing in so many ways. (Too bad Matt got in on the day that the water felt the coldest!)

Practicing kicking his legs.

"Jumping" into the pool; he sits on the edge and I lift him up and into the water. This always gets big smiles. (Also, nice juicy shot of my double chin, huh?)

Seriously, could Matt be going any slower? Notice the kid glued to his back?!

On a side note, I am very happy with my garage sale maternity swimsuit! Unfortunately, I wish I would have noticed that the butt is getting super thin, and that when wet and in the sun, people can probably see my crack through my suit. I noticed it last weekend when Charlie and I were swimming at the Hyatt and managed to go to all 9 baby swim classes probably flashing my crack to anyone who looked. :( I definitely got my use out of it for only $2, and if my top stays down, you can't see it, but I'm positive at least some people saw too much. Especially when I was getting out of the pool; put Charlie at the top of the steps, climb up the ladder, bend over to grab Charlie, and finish getting out of the pool. Yeah, I definitely showed too much.

Silly and Serious

I took the first video just last weekend. We were just playing in the living room and for some reason, Matt's pillow tosses tickled Charlie's funny bone!!

The second video was taken a few weekends ago when we went to the Royal Gorge (with our season passes!). We thought it would be fun for Charlie to ride the carousel. He didn't know what to think! I could not stop laughing at how serious he was, especially since the minute before the carousel started, he was talking and smiling and having a good time! He sobered up quickly. :) We'll definitely be making lots of trips out there this fall after the tourist season dies down. They also have this fun little train that goes on a 10-minute loop and showcases some things like Yellowstone (a yellow rock) and Hanging Rock (a rock hanging by a string). It's pretty fun!