Ah, now that's better!

As most of you know by now, Charley is sporting a new accessory - glasses! Poor baby just didn't have a chance - Mommy and Daddy are blind as bats! Anyway, I thought we'd have a major battle on our hands, but all it really took was holding him on my lap and after a few minutes of keeping his hands away from his face, turning on the iPad for a while. Afterward, taking him outside helped him be distracted, but it also helped him realize that with glasses, he could see!

Just a couple hours into wearing glasses!

However, as good as Charley was about wearing them, we all learned how sneaky (and quick!) he can be:

After a panicked search, we discovered hiding place #3 (after the recycle bin and Grandpa's garden) - Grandpa's boot. Mommy did the same thing when she was Charley's age!

We've been spending a lot of time outside lately - first, the weather's been great; second, the more distracted Charley is, the better he is about wearing his glasses for long stretches of time! Here are some pictures of what we've been up to:

Meeting the turtle at the Botanical Gardens!

At Memorial Park in Rockport!

Done.

Hopefully in time, Charley will either outgrow his prescription, or require glasses less. Everyone raves about them, and think he's even cuter with them on than with them off! Wonder how many pairs we'll end up buying...

Happy Easter!

Easter promised to be very busy this year, and boy, it did not disappoint! Charley had his first school Easter Egg Hunt, and Meemaw, Mimi, and I were there to witness it. I really enjoyed sneaking up on Charley and watching him at school. He was such a big boy - the first one in line to go outside and hunt eggs (that's my boy!), and he even carried his bucket without tossing it aside! I wish I could have captured this on camera but doing so would have put me at risk of being seen (and let's face it - an ensuing tantrum). So, here's a picture of him hunting before discovering he had onlookers:

But then, he heard our voices and was thrilled to see his visitors. First, Mimi...

"Hi, Ma!" (He doesn't say Mimi yet.)

And then me...

My sweet boy!

Charley led me around the play yard and showed me everything he likes to play with, like:

the playhouse! He sequestered Mimi and me in there, and since Meemaw was looking on from the sidewalk, she decided to get in on the action by being the "creeper photobomber." 

"Ooooo!" (We just love it when he says that!)
He opened an egg and discovered a toy! Yay to the parents for not giving the kids junk!

On Easter Sunday, we all managed to make it to the early service at Mimi and Grandpa's church. But by the time we got home, it was time for lunch and naps. Believe it or not, we managed to get through the day without a formal Easter picture in our outfits that I spent hours planning and shopping for. Oh well...Anyway, after naps it was time to see all the loot in store...

Between 2 great-grandmas, 2 sets of grandparents, and Mommy and Daddy, Charley made quite a haul!

The aftermath.

Last but not least, it was time to go outside and hunt eggs. We were wondering how Charley would do this year, since one of his favorite things is to load and unload all kinds of items. The hunt was, well, a bust. He was more interested in running around than anything, so very little prodding was effective. He figured out that he could take our hands and place them on the eggs so that we would do the hard work for him. This means I only got one really good shot of him doing what he was *supposed* to do:

Naturally, I cut Mike's head off in the process. Oh well, there's always next year...

We had a wonderful Easter celebration that included skyping with Nina and Pawpaw, and then Auntie (Alyssa) and Uncle Paul. Thank you to everyone for the gifts for Charley! He loved them all, and I'm thankful to be able to rotate out some of his older toys! We hope you all had a wonderful Easter filled with loved ones and laughter. God's blessings!

First quarter recap

Things have been crazy on the Fulton Farm these last couple of months. It really is a shame I haven't stopped to document more, because now I don't remember everything. Charley is growing leaps and bounds, and is learning new things daily. Here are a few of his favorite things of late:

• For about 4 months now, Charley has been calling Mike, well, "Mike." Actually, it sounds like "Mack." :) He's always called me Mom. So, he loves to say things like, "Hi Dad/Mack" and, "ummm, okay" and various other 2-3 word phrases.
• He's an expert at operating all things electronic: iPads/iPods, tv's, kindles, remotes, cell phones, etc. We've had to limit his exposure to twice a day to such items. Sigh...
• He can now open all doors and even lock/unlock them. He's managed to figure out the current baby-proofing system, so we're scrambling to come up with plan C. That's right, we have a raccoon.
• He's able to feed himself, brush his teeth, remove his clothes and shoes, and do small chores like putting away laundry and picking up toys. This lasts about 30 seconds. But it's a start! His favorite is to slam dunk his dirty laundry into the hamper! Moms - how long does this last?
• Charley loves school and does not cry when we drop him off. Sometimes he's not ready to leave!

Here's a couple of pics I captured with my cell before Charley destroyed it:

Charley's first day at his new school - Kid's Place @ Grace Presbyterian

Wearing Mommy's & Daddy's shoes are fun! Boots, flip flops, Sperrys...oh my!

This comes in handy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope everyone has a safe, blessed Easter!

18 Months Old Today!

Greetings, all! I've decided today is just as good as any to update everyone on the Fulton Family happenings lately.

First, I can't believe Hurricane Charley is 18 months old today! Though he's been perfecting his terrible twos tantrums over the last few weeks, today has been especially exhilarating! I'm not sure I ever fully understood bipolar disorder until lately, having now seen it on display so frequently! It doesn't help that the poor little guy has been cutting all of his molars and incisors at the same time. Eight teeth - yikes!

Anyway, to catch everyone up, a few months ago I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. This has been a relief and a source of frustration. A relief because sometimes, the medicines prescribed work; frustrating because it's a diagnosis that I'm battling denial that it even exists. Needless to say, it has been the main reason I have been on a blogging hiatus, choosing instead to focus what little strength I have on trying to raise a defiant toddler.

In other news, Charley will be starting a new school January 2nd. It is a mixed Montessori program that incorporates sign language, Spanish, and biblical teachings into its already academic heavy curriculum. Also, it's cheaper, and three days a week instead of two. Charley has done well on his visits, and I hope that he'll assimilate into the program within a month or two. We're all so blessed with this opportunity!

To catch everyone up, here are some pics of the last couple of months:

Happy Halloween! We were a trooper trick-or-treating this year. We started at Meemaw's...

Then went to Grandpa's and Daddy's work! Here, we're reorganizing Grandpa's snack drawer. Again...

We also went trick-or-treating with the neighbors in a fun neighborhood not to far from ours, but didn't last long. For one thing, we were really worn out from the big day. For another, there was a weird drunk guy dressed in a Sgt. Pepper's get-up that made Mommy and me really uncomfortable!

On to our next big event: the cousins reunion at the ranch! The day was busy from start to finish. We all hung out together at the ranch, and fellowshipped on great food, and even better conversation! Here are some pics:

The older boys hung out mostly by the jeep. Driving is serious business, as Cooper demonstrates.

The rock/dirt piles were a success, also! Even Uncle Ryan got in on the action, and was diligent about not spilling his drink - a true professional!

Two of my favorite pics of the day. Penny had just woken up from her nap, and like some of us, needed some space to recover. Charley, while the same way, didn't seem to understand, and had lots of fun chasing poor Penny!

As you can imagine, all the hard work and play required a drink. 

Not to be forgotten, Leah and Jocelyn photobomb! We were all so excited that they got to come! I even got to hold her, but she is quite the momma's girl! 

Thanks to Ryan and his camera, we were able to get a (mostly cooperative) group shot!

We had a pretty quiet Thanksgiving this year - Mike had to work, and he and Charley were battling colds. We stayed quarantined in our house. Here's hoping we have a better Christmas; though Mike has a busy holiday work schedule, we're hoping to spend some time with local family. After the nutty holiday season, the plan is to hit the road to see family and friends that we've missed so much!

Well, this has been quite the long-winded blog - sorry for that! I'll try to do better, though I'm pretty much not going to resurface until after the holiday season. So, from our family to yours, have a blessed, safe, and Merry Christmas! We'll see you in the New Year!

Love,
Ashley, Mike, Charley, and begrudgingly, Daphne, Olive and Roz

Back from the hiatus!

Since we've put Charley in school, we've encountered countless "bugs" and are fighting with allergies. Just when I thought we were free and clear for a while, the symptoms return. How do you keep a cranky toddler busy when he's sick? Here's a few things we did:

We did a lot of sleeping. On Mommy. It was that bad. And very sad.

Aquarium with Grandpa! Grandpa has Fridays off. By Friday, both Mommy and Charley were stir crazy. We went to the Aquarium early that morning. When everyone was outside watching the dolphin show, we went below. It was great because we were the only ones in there. We got a private show, and Charley got to run around and scream till his heart was mostly content!

Mommy and Charley went to Gill's Landscape Nursery with Mimi one morning because the weather was nice, and the nursery is usually serene. Case in point here - the infinity edge water feature. Very calming for a cranky boy.

You know Charley is sick when he tolerates being pulled in a wagon for more than 2 minutes without trying to escape. I think Mimi was grateful.

After Gill's, it was time for lunch and more fresh air and sunshine. One of Charley's favorite activities is the water sensory bucket at Mimi's! It was his first smile of the day!

We ended up going to the doctor, only to find out through a series of traumatic examinations that Charley was suffering from a double ear infection and a sinus infection! Mommy felt sorry for him and bought him the Snoopy "Beagle Scout" - it was the first stuffed animal he lunged at in the store! We hugged Snoopy all the way home.

Finally on the mend! Charley was experimenting with Mommy's phone. Mommy was teaching Charley how to take self portraits, and at the last minute he hit Mommy's arm and took this picture. I'm glad he did. :) (PS - more evidence of him feeling better are the scrapes on his nose. He acquired those while sprinting from the grass onto the sidewalk. Full face plant.)

First Day of School!

Okay, so we didn't start with everyone else...but that's okay! We got the call yesterday that Charley was accepted at Seashore Early Childhood Academy here on the Island, and that he'll be a part of the Tuesday & Thursday class. This is very exciting, because one of Charley's friends (our neighbor's daughter) is in the class too! Needless to say, Mommy was very excited...until reality hit this morning. My baby isn't really a baby anymore. This is his first day of school - and he'll be going to school for a very long time. No more 24/7 Mommy. This is it!
I actually did pretty well - no real tears while getting ready. And that's another thing...I thought getting ready would be so amazing - like when I would have my first days of school. I started labeling everything, getting all his belongings organized, picking out clothes...and then I just got sad. It really was surreal. Then I started getting scatterbrained and anxious, hoping everything was in order. God forbid I forget something. Because, you know, the school is *so* far away. Like, maybe a whole mile! Everything had to be perfect! Then I realized that I was ruining the experience for myself and probably Mike. Charley didn't really care. So I managed to pull it together enough to get us all ready and out the door on time. Here are some pics chronicling the morning:

Breakfast of champions! (Minus the oatmeal)

We LOVE drinking from a straw! We do it so that we get claps and cheers from Mommy and Daddy!

New lunch bag, curtesy of Mimi! We're packed and ready to go!

Well, we can't go before "Customs" has a chance to inspect everything...

We've discovered our new things! It's like Christmas!

Gotta have fresh breath for the ladies!

Morning ritual that includes watching the BBC with Daddy.

Capturing Mommy before she starts crying and looking crazy.

Such a ham!

That's better. He really was a Daddy's Boy this morning!

It didn't occur to me to take a pic of him in the carseat or in front of his school, or even in his classroom.  As I mentioned, it was all I could do to get out the door. Oh well...
Anyway, we got to school, and Charley immediately recognized his friend! She came over and said, "Hi, Chawy!" (super cute!!), and he started talking back! That made me feel so much better! I managed to sneak out to finalize paperwork, but he did eventually happen to see me and started wailing, and then...so did I. In front of everyone. Ugh.
I went straight to the gym and worked it all out. I knew some people there and when they asked how Charley was, I was able to tell them that it was his first day of school without crying. Victory! My friend told me to call right away to check on him. I actually said to her, "I didn't know I could do that!" How did that not occur to me??!!
Needless to say, I ran to the car and called. I actually was able to speak with one of his teachers (he has 2 and an aide in his room). Ms. Deanna said that Charley stopped crying about the time I left, and is doing great!
So, here I am, feeling a little lost, wondering what to do around here. I had all these grand plans about everything I was going to accomplish today, and all I can do is sit here. Amazing.
Well, I've certainly been long-winded today - my apologies. Time to get going and enjoy the peace and quiet while I can! I can't wait to see my baby this afternoon!

It's been a while...

Okay, so ever since Daddy got back, I've been preoccupied, and any free time has been used up hanging out with the fam. But, since we're now back in the swing of things, I can pick up where I left off!  The first part of this blog is what I intended to post closer to Charley's 1st birthday, but I guess now is as good a time as any. Here are some really old pics just for fun, so that everyone can have a blast comparing Charley to them!

Guess who??!!

This is Uncle Ryan on his 1st birthday.

Unfortunately, I have no baby pictures of Daddy. You'll need to ask Pawpaw why that is...(hint: it's a story he'll never live down as long as Nina lives, I think.)

My next photo scanning project is to find some baby pics of my dad to add, because Charley looked so much like him as an infant! It's shocking! Nina, if you're reading this, we need old baby pics of you and Pawpaw, too!

Anywho...this is what we've been up to in the last couple of weeks:

Charley and Macy both like to play in and drink from the dogs' water bowl. Charley will even push Macy's nose out of the way so he can get into the bucket. It's all I can do to sit idly by and watch...

Hello? Can you hear me? I'm talking to you!!

Practicing with the training cup. We actually do better with a big boy cup, and better still with a straw. Silly Mommy for wasting so much money!

One day, Mommy looked up and saw Charley mount and ride his Elmo plane toy! Very exciting! Wonder when he figured it out??

Last but not least, dismantling the keyboard and organizing the keys in the vacant kitty spot in the puzzle. No worries, this is a fried PC. No Macs were harmed.