Mississippi and Fair Time

Our fun week started off at the water park in West Des Moines. It was our first time there and we loved it. We all got to go on waterslides, lazy river, and the pool. Charlie had so much fun and was so brave. We was jumping in, blowing bubbles in the water, and going under. It was a great afternoon for all of us.

The next day we headed to Mississippi to see my mom, step dad, and my sister and her family. It was great. The drive (13 hours) wasnt too fun, but we made it.

Charlie, my little athlete, loves baseball. He got to play outside a lot, but we started playing with a balloon inside so we didnt have to deal with so many bugs and lost balls. Austin and Cali (my sisters kids) had fun with it too.

Charlie loved his cousin time. They all seemed to get along well, and were all clean every night thanks to fun bubble baths given by grandma. With how hot and sweaty they were getting, it was definately needed.

We had fun with Grandma and Grandpa, too. Lots of playing, readying, and watching cartoons. He even started getting used to Milo (dog). Unfortunately they had to put Maggie (Milo's mom) down our first day there. Charlie didnt really understand why she couldn't come back from the doctor. She was an amazing dog and will truly be missed!

Charlie did pretty good in the car. Lots of movies helped. He doesnt usually get to watch much tv, plus he got to color a lot, snack when he wanted, and lots of (watered down) juice.

We came back and Joel headed back to work. It was the last week of the fair and we wanted to go, so we went Wednesday night at 5 so it was half price to get in, and we knew we would have enough time to see what we wanted, eat what we wanted, and be home for bedtime. It was really fun.

Here is the really tall spinning ride with a basket on each end. Charlie was so mad he couldnt ride it. I told him he was too little and he said "my not little". We just had to distract him and walk away. He is too brave with stuff like that.

We made the mistake of showing him the water, too. He loves water and wouldn't leave the fountain. He was soaked, but dried by the time we got to the car. He would run to the middle, stomp in the puddle, and run out laughing.

Charlie's favorite part was the animals! Here is the 1100+ lb pig. He wouldnt touch it, but he was talking to him and giving him rocks.

The little pigs were more his size. He just ran through the isles and pointed out each one. He wanted to pet everything, too, but we kept him away unless we were told we could let him.

Here is the baby cow that he could pet, and he happily did, about 10 times. He loved the little cow and kept going back.

That is the past 2 weeks of our lives. A lot of fun! Can't wait for more. Between work and life we don't get to do this much in a short time often, but when stuff comes up we enjoy it. We have a fun wedding to go to over our anniversary weekend. It's a fancy one with dancing and everything. Joel and I have never danced so I informed him we are going and enjoying. We look forward to lots of experiences this fall and winter with our wonderful family!

Playing Catch Up

This post may be kind of long since its been almost 3 months and lots has happened, but I will try to keep it short so people can read it all in one sitting.
June 16-19 I went to girls camp with my ward. It was a last minute calling and it was a blast. Here are some of the girls (this in the back half of the photo) that were with us. We are in the tornado shelter during a big storm. We had no fights, only one day of bad weather, and tons of fun. Definately a good break for me!

Here is Charlie at my in-laws house trying to put on his cousins goggles. He didnt really want them on, but it was so cute to see him try to do it himself. He is such a fun and active kid, and so independent (as long as Joel or I are in the area!).

Charlie has recently become obsessed with baseball. He is really good, too. He hits right handed, but throws left (he is a lefty). He can hit the ball almost everytime and has a really good arm. The only problem is he will be out playing for hours if he has someone to throw the ball, but its been so hot we dont want to, so he throws a fit everytime its time to come in. I need to get him a tball stand so I can sit in the shade and watch. :)

Charlie loves church, too. He does well in nursery, once he is there. He loves having "Jesus' bread and water", which is the best explaination we have managed so far. He tries to sing, he stays still, and is relatively quiet. It really helps that he sees grandma and grandpa. He loves watching grandpa when its his week to conduct. This is a picture on the way home from church. He loves wearing his hat and glasses like daddy and asked for a picture. But, like daddy, he had already taken his tie off.

On June 23 the adoption was finalized. We got to the court house on time and still had to wait over an hour for our hearing since it was an open bracket time slot. Here is us sitting in the hallway between Charlie's many bathroom breaks. He does well going potty out of the house cause its an adventure, and usually he can use either little toilets or a urinal.

The second picture is Joel on the stand. We both had to get up and answer questions about our life, Charlie's relationship with Joel, punishment techniques in the home, and talk about the judges concern over how we had only been married for 9 months. After we both went up, Joel's dad stood up and told the judge he felt we were extremely stable and happy and that Charlie was one of the family. By the end the judge was crying and declared it. It was a neat experience.

Charlie got a frog from the judge. We are waiting for the new birth certificate from Mississippi so we can change his name on his social security info, but his legal name is now Charles Hanson. So fun.

Along with all the other adventures of life with a two year old comes building. Charlie stacks everything, builds forts and ramps, and loves stacking blocks. He also loves these cool blocks I found that are like pre-legos. He makes towers and planes, and when daddy is home he has him make cool stuff like the dragon in the picture. He knows that these blocks and his train sets dont come out until dad is home (since I dont want to sit for hours and play with them), and he cleans up his other toys from the main area so he can really play. It is so fun. He sings the clean up song, along with many others he knows or makes up, and gets the job done.As of July 12 Charlie and I have been in Iowa for 2 years, and July 11 was a year from when Joel proposed. It has gone so fast and been such a blessing in our lives. I couldnt imagine my life any other way.

We (well, mostly Joel) have been redoing a deck for some friends in the ward. It has been so hot and wet it has taken a while doing it little by little, but it is done now besides the stain. The side job has been a blessing right now with a break between jobs for work, trying to travel to see family and friends, and just life. We have worked together, worked apart, and learned a lot from each other in the process.

Charlie loves to build, as I said, and climb. He puts his table and work table together to support him and stands or sits on top and sings or hits with his hammer. Well, last week he kicked the table and crashed through the seem and sprained his ankle. We knew it wasnt broken and it didnt seem to bother him too much, but now it bothers him more so the doctor said to keep it wrapped when possible to support it, and go see a specialist if it lasts more than another week. He limps on it -- but limping while running is the cutest part. He has a kind of wobble really and people think he has a birth defect or something now. But here is a picture of his cute little wrapped up foot.

So that is our life. Joel is working regular hours for now, but come September the overtime will pick up. His job will be on and off since its a water treatment plant, so I will be subbing when he is home to watch Charlie to make up the difference. It will be nice to get out and in a classroom again, but I will miss my little guy when I am gone.

We are off to see family next week. I get to see my sister and her family at my mom's, too, which will be a fun treat. Joel is excited for the time off, and I am excited just to get out of the house for a few days. This will be our last big trip until our Christmas trip to California to see family. My baby brother just got off his mission to Ghana and I am so excited to see him in December.

Next month is our first anniversary, but one of Joel's friends is getting married the day before so our idea for a weekend away was botched, but we get to go dance and eat at a big reception, and probably have the night off from Charlie. Maybe the following weekend which is also my birthday we can do something special.

Well, until next time... ;)