Doug, Charlie, and I had a wonderful Christmas. We spent time at both grandparents homes, and Charlie was spoiled at both Christmas celebrations. What did he get? TOMMY! I think Tommy was the word of the day. Thomas the Train was everywhere. Toothpaste, undies, wooden train sets, train whistles, clothes, books, and a pop-up tent. There was some Elmo, and a new bike mixed in...but the day was about Charlie and Tommy. He was so jazzed that he skipped his nap (something that has never happened). Doug and I were equally spoiled, and we are so grateful for such great family and friends.

We also got to spend a lot of time with family. Charlie gave out names for Christmas this year. Uncle Cameron could not escape the constant chirp of "CAM!", and we now have an Aunt Bobby (Aunt Becky). He also started calling Brent and Barb "Papa" and "Nana".

It is a Wonderful Life!

Christmas Tree Pictures

Today, Charlie was all dressed up to meet Santa for the first time. He looked so cute in his sweater and shirt that I forced him to sit by the tree for me. I took 42 pictures and got maybe a handful of good ones. He is a wiggle worm these days. But the ones I got, I really love.

Is it just me, or is my guy the cutest ever!?!

All are Welcome

I suppose that all were welcome at the birth of Jesus.....even green robot action figures. :) Good job Chuck!

Thanksgiving 2010

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. Thursday was at Grandpa/Grandma Helsel's house - Yummo!

Friday Mom braved Black Friday Sales. We also went to see Thomas the Train!!!!! The highlight of the whole weekend by far. "TOMMY! TOMMY! TOMMY!" We rode 3 times and were only able to leave because we got to take home a new Tommy.

Saturday was round two for turkey at G.pa and G.ma Wheeler's house. Cousin Liberty had a Santa photo shoot, and the second round of food was heavenly.

Take a Hike

This weekend we went down to Sedona to enjoy the perfect weather. We went for a hike on Devil's Bridge Trail. It was great! The day was warm, the trail was uncrowded, and we had a picnic lunch at the top.

The other photos in this album are : A recent spaghetti incident and Charlie upside down in the toy box. :)

Trick-or-Treat

Sir Charles, Mommy, and Daddy had a wonderful Halloween. The highlights - seeing Charlie rock my home made knight costume, special trick-or-treat baskets from the Grandparents, digging out pumpkin guts, and trick or treating to our neighbor who goes WAY overboard for Halloween (See hearse photo!) Fun had by all!

Rx Love

The family dog, Moose, had gotten very sick a few weeks ago. Charlie took it upon himself to snuggle Moose and give him a lot of love. With a little rest, a few visits to the Vet, and lots of Charlie love...Moose is in tip-top puppy shape again.

The Great Pumpkin Adventure

Doug, Charlie, and I went to visit The Wyatts down in Gilbert this past weekend. We had a great visit. We went to the Desert Botanical Gardens to see the Butterfly Exhibit, and pick a pumpkin at the Pumpkin Festival. Fun for everyone - Butterflies, Hay Ride, Music, Petting Zoo, and of course a PUMPKIN chosen by Mr. Charlie.

Play Date

We had a GREAT play date with my friend Elizabeth and her son Menias this past weekend. The boys had fun playing around the park, and Liz (the photographer extraordinaire) got these great shots of Char-Char. Thanks Liz!

Yummo!

BIG smiles!

My sweet boy

My personal favorite!

Art

One of Charlie's recent works of art. I'm his biggest fan!

Hmmm

Charlie is such a crack up! His new favorite face is his "Hmmmmm" face. You just need to ask, and he will usually show you his thinking face.

God made dirt, and dirt don't...

I sure hope "dirt don't hurt" because Charlie sure has managed to eat a lot of it lately. It seems like every time I turn my back Charlie is sampling yet another fist full of sand, dirt, or rocks. What a boy, but he looks good with a dirt beard!

Gone Fishing

August 13,14, and 15th we went to the family cabin in Pinetop, Az with the Helsel Grandparents and Auntie Becca. We had a great time! Checkout Charlie riding in the boat, and skinny dip'n in the lake!

Giving Hugs

If you are ever lucky enough to get a hug from Charlie; he just puts his head down on you and waits for you to hug him back.

These are pictures of Charlie "hugging" Moose. He just puts his head down onto Moose's back and waits for me to say, "Aww, that a sweet boy Charlie!", then he is on his way. But, Moose has been getting a lot of hugs lately...I'm getting a little jealous! :)

Afternoon Adventures

The TRASH GUY!

"Counting" the fowers

Look! An Airplane!

Pinetop Golf Weekend

The last weekend in July is always a memorial golf weekend for my Uncle Willie. These are the photos I took of our weekend in Pinetop. We learned Charlie likes golf!

Water Baby

Charlie is super busy these days! He loves talking, running, Thomas the Train, and general exploration of everything. Water is one of his favorite things. I filled up a few tubs with water the other day, and cut him loose on tha back patio. Who would have thought water, an old Rubbermaid and a few kitchen tools would have made for so much fun.

My First Blog Rant

I don't eat gluten. So, snacks are hard to come by. I was thrilled to come across these new Gluten Free Chocolate Snack Bars. Until I opened one, that is. What I pulled out of the packaging was more like a snack CUBE, then BAR.

I am so angry! I usually don't get upset about these things. But really, come on. You have to shop in the special hippie section on the grocery store, pay 2x as much and you get what!

Look at the picture on the box

Then look at the size of the wrapper

Then look at the little thing that was inside the wrapper

Ridiculous! Almost comical.....almost. :)

4th of July, and Tucson Road Trip

It seems that time has gotten away from me again in regards to updating our blog!

We had a wonderful 4th of July weekend here in Flagstaff. We went to 2 BBQ's, the BBQ festival in Williams, and the horse races. Charlie was our lucky charm for betting at the races. He picked all the winners for the 4 races that we watched!

Last week Charlie and I tagged along with G.Ma down to Gilbert and Tucson. We got to see Aunt Becky and swim in her pool. Then on to Tucson where we had our first Eegees, La Parilla, and did some more swimming. G.ma and I took Charlie to the butterfly exhibit at the Tucson Batanical Gardens...only to find all of the butterflies had been eated by lizards the day before we got there. Good thing they had a water wall to play on!

Charlie is 15 months at the end of this month. He is SUCH a joy, and keeps us laughing. Everything is "dis?" and "dat?". He is learning to use a spoon all by himself (hence the lovely yogert pictures), and is quite the explorer these days. He has no fear, and is constantly on the move. I just love him!

Fishing Trip and Spaghetti Dinner

We had a big weekend! Charlie went fishing for the first time (We didn't catch anything), and tried to feed himself spaghetti (Big mess). Our little guy is so cute.

Schultz Fire

These pictures were taken by Doug yesterday. The smoke cloud is enormous, and so is this fire. The last account has it at 9,000 acres and 0% containment. Last night we could see the fire cresting over the hillside, and even make out flames with our bare eyes. Luckily for us, this fire is burning on the north side of the peaks, and we live in South/west Flagstaff. Our home is in no danger what so ever. But, We are lucky enough to live by the airport and have been watching large slurry planes and helicopters whiz by all day (much to Charlie's delight!).

Free as a Bird

Lately, we have been having trouble keeping Charlie fully clothed. When we change his diaper or change his clothes he likes to wiggle away and play in the buff. It makes for some cute pictures. Such an exhibitionist.

Memorial Day Picnic!

This Memorial Day Weekend was spent at home in the B.E.A.U.tiful weather. We had a Picnic with the Helsel Family at Thorpe Park on Sunday afternoon. It was lovely. Charlie had a blast, and even got to enjoy his first ice cream pop of the summer!

Charlie Turns 1

Shame on me for not posting these pictures sooner. I guess I have been a little busy with the new pup we got Charlie for his birthday. Prince Charlie's party was a royal good time! I cannot believe my widdle baby is a big boy! He loved his cake and found out it makes a wonderful hair conditioner! We have been playing with all the new toys each and every day. All around it was such a joyful day...and year to look back on.

Puppy Love

So, Moose is here! We picked up Moose up this past Saturday, and I have been wondering if we made the right selection (we got first pick from 5 male puppies). This little moment happened today, and I think it validated our pick. Can anyone guess what these two knuckle heads are staring at??? They both sat and watched an entire Baby Einstein video this afternoon. It was almost too much to watch. They are best buddies already!

Our new puppy, Moose!

Here is the sneak peek at our new 4 legged baby boy. He is a beautiful chocolate lab and is just about 8 weeks old. Doug is going to pick him up on Saturday...all the way down in Tonopah, Az. (3 hours from us). I am sure it will be an adventure having Charlie and now a little puppy. When looking at the pictures, our pup is the one with the RED collar on.

Charlie Took His First Steps!

Yes, You read it right. He took his first steps today....6 days before his first birthday. Here is how it happened.

Grandma Helsel and Auntie Becca were over helping me for the afternoon. Grandma just recently got Charlie a new bright green ball that he just loves. They were rolling the ball back and forth between Auntie Becca and Grandma, when Grandma wants to show Aunt Becca how good at standing Charlie is.

Grandma stood Charlie up...and the bright green ball rolled away from him. The rest is history. That little boy wanted his ball, so off he went! 1,2,3,4 steps in a row. We were all watching with our jaws on the floor. YAY CHARLIE!

My little boy is getting so big! I'm so proud. :)

Charlie Gets His Groove On

Charlie has started sharing his dance moves with us. We recently got this activity table that plays different songs. Charlie loves it and also loves to shake what his momma gave him (that's me!). I cannot figure out how to turn this video...so if you know please email me. Until then stretch your neck to one side and watch my little man groove.

My little Yogi

Charlie has become quite the little yoga boy. His new favorite pose is the Downward-facing Dog. If you have never done yoga: this pose involves you sticking your booty up in the air while keeping your feet and head on the floor. He is much better at it then Mommy is. :)

Charlie's Cousin - Liberty Ann Wyatt

This post is about 9 days late. Liberty Ann Wyatt arrived on April 7th, 2010 at 5:01pm. She was 9lbs and 22 inches long. We are so happy to have such a lovely little lady as part of our family!

Nana's 90th Birthday Weekend

This past weekend we spent in Gilbert celebrating Nana-the-Great's 90th Birthday! All 3 sides of the Helsel family were there and many more friends and family. We had a wonderful time at a picnic in Usary Park, having family pictures taken, and then the 90th birthday bash on Sunday afternoon. We had such a good time seeing everyone.

For Aunt Becky...who misses us.

Aunt Becky lives 3 hours away from us and is 37 weeks pregnant with grandbaby #3 (It's a girl!...Yes!). So, as such, she has not seen both Jameson or Charlie is quite some time. Sis, these are for you. They are a bunch of nothing really, but I thought they would warm your heart.

Walk'n and Talk'n

Charlie has started to really get around the house in his walker. He is constantly under (or rolling over) our feet. He has become quite a little man all of a sudden. All the little things we have been teaching him are starting to click, and he is really trying to communicate more. My favorite is the constant OOOOoooooOOOO that I hear as he goes from room to room and finds each ceiling fan. He points and Ooooo's at them until I turn them on. He also knows were his nose is, says Mama/Dada, and signs "More" when he wants more toys or food. Luckily for you...I got all on it on ONE video.

Sleeping Beauty

I have been finding Charlie in the most uncomfortable looking positions when I go to get him up from a nap. I thought to myself - Seriously??? Is he really asleep?.....yep. (Get the camera!)

I guess he just pulled off both his socks, inch-wormed his way to the edge of the crib, and closed his little eyes for a snooze.

Manly Maides

Charlie loves cleaning house with Daddy and I. He is such a good helper! His favorite is the vacuum cleaner and the washing machine. Hopefully, his love of cleaning this house lasts long into his teen years. One can only hope.

Daddy's in the news!

Doug's work is normally very secretive. Recent FDA approval has allowed Doug to share a small part of what he does with the family. He is on a small team of engineers and scientists creating the next generation of Gore Stint devices to repair Aortic aneurysms and ruptures. These new stints and more flexible, last longer, are safer, and can be used in very young patients.

Here is a video:

http://www.wcco.com/video/?id=74313@wcco.dayport.com

Baby Einstein

I would like to thank the makers of the Baby Einstein videos. Nuf Said.

He's a Finalist!

This is the photo that could win him $25,000 in a college scholarship. I went out on a whim one day and submitted 5 photos to the Parent Magazine Cute Kid Contest...they chose the Happy Frigg'n New Year picture (not my first choice out of the 5 I sent). So now it is up to the voting of our family and friends! Vote for Charlie at http://photos.parents.com/category/vote/photo/113626

New trick!

For Valentines Day Charlie showed me his new trick. He must have been practicing it in his crib during nap time, because he is very good at it. He just says "BLAAAHHHH", and lets that tongue hang on out. What a crack up!

My personal favorite!

Cookie Monster

Lately Doug and I have been giving Charlie these "teething cookies" so that we can eat dinner together in peace. But recently, he has been making quite a mess with them. I think maybe he absorbs the cookie through his face??? I dunno, but he sure is cute with that goop all over his face!

Mommy and Charlie

An old girl-friend of mine recently asked Charlie and I to be "models" for her Senior Class Project at NAU. We had a great time, and I just love how the pictures turned out. Here are a few of my favorites.