Halloween 2011

I realize Halloween isn't until tomorrow but we've been done so many Halloween things this week that I think we're done.  At least I am!

Monday night we made sugar cookies for FHE.  We used royal icing this time and I LOVED it!  It dries hard like candy so it's less messy and it tasted sooo good with my sugar cookie recipe.  Mmmm . . .

Charlie decorated his pumpkin.  He's obviously too small to use knives so we gave him a Sharpie and let him go at it.  He's not much for drawing so he was done after two minutes.  He's thrilled, can't you tell?  

Speaking of pumpkins, I carved one last weekend.  It's supposed to be Hellboy.  It obviously didn't turn out well but I blame all the painkillers I was on . . . I wrote more about my experience on my craft blog, BTW.

Wednesday night was Trunk or Treat.  Just like last year, Charlie picked our theme: Spiderman.  : )

I got to be Spidergirl!  

John got to be Doc Ock.  I made his costume and I think it turned out pretty nice!  John loved it and got lots of compliments at the party.  Again, my craft blog has more details on how I put our costumes together, etc.

Charlie's First Primary Program

Well, the title pretty much sums it up!  Today was his first Primary Program.  His part was, "Jesus was resurrected and I will be too."  We've been praticing every day for a month and it paid off.  He got up and said his part perfectly!  Well, for whatever reason, he started to say it before he was completely at the podium, so only the last half of the sentence made it to the microphone . . . BUT, he said it so loud you could hear the whole thing!  I was so proud!  Not to mention, he stayed up there by himself the entire time.  The past two Sundays, Charlie made John sit with him and we honestly thought he was going to have to for the actual program.  Thankfully, Charlie was a big boy and sat up there by himself.  Phew!

I got Charlie a new outfit just for the occasion (can't beat a Perry Ellis ensemble for $13!).  The pants were too long so I put him in a pair of velvet pants I got at a consignment sale recently.  I guess I didn't look at them closely enough because, um, the pocket lining is leopard print.  John thinks they are girl's pants.  Yup.  I put my boy in girl pants.  Very emo.  LOL!  You'd think I'd get a clue when I bought myself a pair of similar pants a few weeks ago!  But they are cute pants so I will continue to put him in them!

 This is what trying to take a picture of Charlie is like.  The closed eyes are on purpose.

 As well as these crazy eyes . . .

After the program, the teachers gave out little bears.  I cannot explain the creepy expression on his face in this picture . . . 

Er, a little better . . . 

Ah, there we go.  I wish I knew what it takes for Charlie to make a normal face in front of a camera!

September 2011

WOW, I'm far behind!  Catch up time . . .

My birthday was on the 12th and I turned 29.  It's the first birthday that has really bothered me.  I'm not too crazy about turning 30 next year!  I just keep reminding myself that Beyonce is 30, so it can't be that bad . . .

I got some new PJs, an i-Tunes card, shopping money (which I hastily blew through) and these shoes I LOVE:

John and I got to see Captain America and I loved it!

The 18th was Charlie's 4th birthday!  For his actual birthday, John and I got him a Happy Meal for lunch (his favorite) and took him to the Pumpkin Patch playground (his other favorite).

Epic cupcake FAIL.  I decorated them and came out so ugly!  I think I'll just leave the cake decorating to my mom from now on . . .
 

White hair at four?!  He lives a rough life, I guess . . . (yes, that's sarcasm you smell)

 Church outfit on his actual birthday . . . I love this cardigan!  And yes, he insisted on this pose and face for the picture.  You can probably hear my eyes rolling from here.

Charlie as the "Green Lamb-turd" (as he puts it!)

Charlie got tons of well, everything, but it seemed like superhero gear was the theme of his #4 b-day.

Charlie as Spiderman

 This is his Halloween costume.  He loves it but was initially annoyed that it was just a hoodie and not a full mask.  He told me for Christmas that he wants a "full Spiderman mask with NO hood!"

Charlie as generic superhero . . . but cool anyway

The 24th was my dad's birthday.  He surprised everyone by giving the grandkids presents!  They are so, irredeemably spoiled.

My dad picked out a huge, obnoxiously loud firetruck for Charlie.  Needless to say, it was the perfect gift for Charlie.  He LOVES it.

"Papa" and all the grandkids getting ready to blow out 63 candles!

Ride of Silence

Back in May, John participated in Chattanooga's Ride of Silence.  It's a ride in remembrance of cyclists who have been killed while riding.  In Chattanooga, the cyclists ride for 12 miles without speaking.  John made the sign for his bike in honor of his brother Doug.

John's Dad was there to support the event.  He even got on the evening news to spread the word about sharing the road safely.

Easter 2011 Goings On

I know, I know . . . another Easter post on "August Eve." Just want to keep a record of all of our happenings even if they are super late.

Charlie and his cousin Lyric cruising in Lyric's sweet Jeep. He even let Charlie drive!

Aunt Sarah was sweet enough to put together an Easter hunt for the two boys.

Charlie hunting eggs at my parents' house.

Yes, Charlie is wearing a monkey blanket around his neck like a cape. This is his daily attire.

Easter Pictures 2011

The summer is almost gone! I can't believe I let an entire month go by without updating this blog. I'm horrible. Oh, well. So here's a nice catching up post about Easter . . . and it's August tomorrow. Here are some pictures after church on Easter Sunday. I think they provide a full range of Charlie's personality at the moment (i.e., overly dramatic, irrational toddler). He's lucky he's cute.

Now this . . . this is Charlie for sure!

Surgery Results

The pathology is in, America. And the results are:

I do have endometriosis.

Today I had my check-up for my surgery. It was 3 weeks ago yesterday that I had it. I have noticed a few small things changing for the better already, despite the fact I'm still in a lot of pain. I have a pretty extreme of IBS and any sort of change in my body make my colon contract and I have horrible cramps that can last, literally, for months. Despite having this all my life, I initially believed my doctor when he said I'd be normal after 2 weeks. I totally disregarded my own body and so it's been frustrating because I'm basically an idiot. It took me 2 weeks to realize, oh yeah. Maybe it'll take me longer to heal since I have a chronic condition. Genius. So I am still in pain but it's gotten much better. The incision in my belly button got infected during week 2 and I highly recommend avoiding an infected belly button at all costs. It's super painful and just gross. But now it's healed.

So what happens now? The surgery I had was initially ruled as diagnostic but while they were in there, they found lots of scar tissue (endometrial tissue) and they removed it. (They found a few lesions on my colon so that could've been adding to my IBS pain) They kind of did everything all at once. We just had to wait for the pathology to come back to make sure it was endometrial tissue. I should see some improvement with all of my symptoms. But that doesn't mean this is the end of it. Endometriosis is notoriously hard to get rid of. Some women get hysterectomies and it still persists. I wouldn't be surprised if I have to have more laparoscopies in my lifetime. At least now I know what to expect!

I'm so grateful to all the family and friends that helped me during this time. I couldn't have done it without you! I'm relieved it's over and I'm hoping for better health soon.