Your 1st Birthday!

Dear Charlie,

Yesterday, we celebrated one of the happiest days of my life, the day you were born.  I can't believe it's already been one whole year that we've had you in our family.  You bring so much joy to my life. 

Since your birthday fell on a Sunday this year, we started out the day by going to church.  I had Ward Council in the morning, so you went over to Sis. Moore's house and hung out with her in the morning.  I heard you made a big, stinky poop that looked like chocolate pudding for her.  Thanks for sparing me that one!

After church, we came home, and I started making dinner for you.  Ok, I confess that I did not actually make the homemade mac n cheese.  I have made it before, but I had one in my freezer from my freezer meals group (which ironically was made by Sis. Moore), and I thought that you wouldn't mind who made it.  I was right!  You were so happy with that mac n cheese.  You gobbled it up.  Ella liked it too.  She had a hard time waiting until after the prayer to eat some.

Next you had your own birthday cake.  It was funfetti with chocolate frosting (per your dad's request).  You were much more interested in grabbing the candle than you were in actually eating the cake.  I don't know if you were too full on mac n cheese, but you did not want to eat the cake at all.  You gagged on the first bite, and then cried as you smeared your hands in the frosting. 

After everyone had their cake, I took you into the bath tub.  You LOVE your bath, and were smiling and giggling as soon as I put you in.  Ella decided that since you were not going to eat your cake that someone really should.  She climbed into your high chair and pointed at the cake on the counter.  I caved and let her have it.  All she really wanted was to eat the chocolate frosting off of the top though.

After cake we opened presents.  Ella saw that you could use some help opening presents, so she offered her expert help.  You got a little car and some finger puppets from Lindsay Adams. Your Dad and I bought you an automatic bubble maker, but unfortunately it didn't work.  You were happy to go outside anyway while we tested it out.

We will have a big party with your grandparents and some cousins next week, but we sure had a great time celebrating your special day with you.  I love the way you light up when I come to pick you up, and you are the best snuggler ever!  You're my little Mamma's boy, and I hope you stay that way forever.

Here are some of the cute things you are doing right now:

You love to pretend that you're swimming in your bath water.  You lie on your tummy and kick your feet and make the biggest splashes.

For a while you were shouting, "Ella!  Ella!"  as you were scooting across the floor.  You haven't said it in a while, but it was super cute when you did.

When we're at the river and my shoulders are bare, you like to give me zerberts on my shoulder.  Sometimes you bite my shoulder though, and that really hurts!  Your teeth are like little razors.

You love your sister Ella bunches.  She and you are best buddies and love to play together.

You like to climb onto things.  You think my big round belly is your own personal jungle gym, but you will also settle for the bench in your room or the kitchen chairs.

I think you would prefer to eat dog food over just about anything.  It's funny that there was a time when I was pregnant with you that I thought the dog food smelled so good, and now you love to eat it.  I'll take your word for it.

You also like to shake your head No.  I love to ask you questions and then watch you shake your head no to anything I ask.  It's a fun game we play.

You have eight teeth, which means that you can eat almost anything.

You also like to chew on your sister's shoes, which is totally gross.  (I think that's why you like it.)

 



I always told your dad that I wanted a little boy with blonde curly hair,bright blue eyes, and kissable cheeks.  I am so blessed to have just what I wanted.  You're such a sweet boy, and I love you sooo much!

 

Love,

Mom



Griffiths Family Reuinion 2012

Dear Charlie,

You are so blessed to have a family that makes an effort to all get together. I feel closer to the Griffiths extended family than I do to my own because they have a family reunion every other year where your Great-Grandmother, Nana Griffiths, and her nine children and their families all try to plan a few days of fun together. This year we were very fortunate that the reunion happened to be planned in Vista where your Nana and Papa live, and it is nice and close to us. Your Dad had to work, but I took you and Charlie because I wanted you to be able to play with your cousins, and I was excited to meet all of the new babies (Devin, Lena, and Liam).

We arrived at the reuinion on Wednesday, August 8th just before lunch. Your Papa decided to take everyone to Upper Crust Pizza. We all thought he was crazy for wanting to eat at the restaurant with 9 children under 5, but we went along with it to please Papa, and you all did very well. Later that evening we spent some time at the campsite where the whole Griffiths clan was staying.  They had a park at the campsite where your cousins Reese and Adelyn pushed you in the swing.  You loved it!

The next day we all went to Mission Bay. I was worried this whole week about how I was going to be able to watch you and Ella with so many other little ones around, but everyone helped out, and we had a great time.  You mostly hung out under the shade, but you still managed to get a sunburn on your back.  I felt so bad, but you took it like a champ.  (I'm so sorry, but I didn't get any pictures of you at the bay.  We'll have to go again and get pics.)

Friday was beach day, and you LOVED the beach.  I thought you would just spend most of the day trying to eat the sand, which you did eat your fair share of, but your favorite part was standing with me in the water and letting the waves crash over your feet.  You would get so happy every time the waves would come.  It makes me so happy that you and your sister love the water so much.  After all of the fun you had been having, you finally fell asleep, and you slept under the shade for several hours.  I find the sound of crashing waves relaxing too.

Saturday was the last day of the reuinion, and we all had a pool party at your Nana and Papa's house. You had fun splashing in the water, but you only wanted me to hold you and you did not want to sit in any of the baby floaties.  I held you most of the time and let you splash in the shallow end.

Your cousin Tyler getting ready to make a splash

Auntie Kari and her boyfriend Alec

Auntie Alex and Uncle Kurt enjoying the sun

Before we left, we took some pictures of all the Griffiths grandchildren together.  You were so happy most of the time, but by the end of the photo session all of the kids were a little grouchy.  The first picture is my favorite because it shows how much you love your little cousin Liam and what a happy little guy you are.  The other two are ones that your Aunt Alex took, so they are much better quality.

We had to leave that night so that we could be home for church in the morning, but we had a wonderful time. I really appreciate all of the hard work that goes into planning these reunions. So far, I have been able to just show up and enjoy the festivities, and I hope to be able to continue to attend in this fashion. We are so blessed to be part of such a large, close-knit family. I am proud to wear the name Griffiths . . . most of the time.

Love,
Mom

A Good Man

Dear Charlie,

Sometimes I forget what a good man your father is until he does something so unexpected like what he did today. I tend to focus on his incessant use of the computer, leaving of dirty socks inches from the laundry hamper, and little things that in the end don't really matter. I realize that underneath his desire to conquer the virtual world lies the heart of a good man.

Your dad called me up this morning at 7am and said that he was going to be bringing someone home that he met at the checkpoint, and she was going to be taking a shower in our house. "She?" I questioned. "Yes . . . you'll see," he replied. I figuered if she needed a shower and he was bringing her to our house while I was there, she wasn't much of a threat to me. I also know that your dad would never put his family in danger, so I trusted he knew what he was doing.

About 30 minutes later he texted me, "Don't know if she has deseases . . . Hepatitis . . . blah blah blah." "This is weird. I am trusting you will tell me the whole story later," I replied. "Nah," he teased.

Around 8am she came into the house, and I immediately recognized her smile, but nothing else about her. "That looks like my old student Jenny. Maybe it's her sister," I thought to myself. While she was in the shower, I asked Dad if he knew her name. He said that another agent there knew her name was Jennifer Peters. It was my student Jenny. The Jenny I knew had bleached blonde hair and was a bit curvy. I would always seat her in the front of the room because she couldn't see the board well and she often needed help. She was never a discipline problem, and she was always sweet to me when she saw me in the hallways both the year I was her teacher and the year after. This Jennifer (who told the agents that her name was Alexis Devine) had stringy, uncombed brown hair. She was thin, her legs were unshaven, and she had a difficult time completing sentences and answering questions. She was obviously on drugs and mentally unstable.

While she was in the shower, Dad instructed her to put a towel around herself and put her clothes outside the door so that I could wash them. It took several times of repeating the instructions before she understood what to do. I took her clothes, threw them in the wash, washed my hands, and then got some of my clothes out for her to wear (including a Gila Ridge High School t-shirt). When she got out of the shower, I asked her if she remembered me, and she nodded with a smile. She sat on the couch watching Bolt with you, Ella, and I. When I was looking at her sitting on the couch, I noticed she had a scab from a slit on her wrist. She seemed nervous, but she would frequently turn and smile at us and Madi. I wanted to cry the whole time she was sitting there. It broke my heart to see her in such a dreadful state.

Apparently, she had been picked up by a trucker, and she was trying to hitchhike to Tucson to get away from her pimp. The trucker dropped her off at the checkpoint. She was planning on continuing on foot (and hitchiking) to Tucson in 115 degree weather with no food, water, and only flip flops on her feet. Dad called DPS (who are the highway patrol here in Yuma), and asked them if they could do anything for her. They wouldn't do anything because she hadn't broken any laws and she wasn't a minor. Dad tried to get other agencies to help, but no one wanted to help this poor girl.

When she got to our house, she said she wanted to go to Phoenix instead of Tucson. Dad was going to take her to the bus stop and send her on a bus to Tucson, but then when she said she wanted to go to Phoenix, he was unsure what to do. I told him that neither Tucson nor Phoenix would help her. She needed help, and he should take her to a rehab facility or try to get ahold of a family member. Dad decided to take her to Crossroads Mission, which is a local homeless shelter. They have a detox program there and a facility for her to have food and shelter. Apparently, she was angry with him for not taking her to the bus stop as he had promised, and she hit him in the face when he told her where she was going. He called the Mission later in the day to check and see if she was still there. They said that she was, but she wanted to leave. They thanked him for bringing her there and said that she had been there before, but this was the worst they had ever seen her.

I want you to know what a good example your dad is to me. I am sure he was taking a risk by brining a drug-addicted prostitute into his own home, but he did it anyway because it was the right thing to do. I don't know if Jenny will stay in detox or even if her life will change because of his generosity, but I do know that your dad did the right thing at the right time. It warms my heart to know that I married such a good man.

Love,
Mom

Your First 4th

Dear Charlie,

This year you celebrated your first 4th of July with your Nana and Papa while I was away at girls' camp in Tucson.  You stayed with Grammy and Pa during the week, and you were getting two new teeth in, so you were feverish and a bit grumpy.  I think you also missed your Mom since that was the longest time I had ever left you two kiddos.  Even though you were grumpy, your Nana still managed to get some happy pictures of you.

Your Nana got you this cute onesie.

Once you were able to get some medicine and a nice nap, I think you were much happier.  I'm sad that I missed your first 4th, but I know you had a good time hanging out with your Nana, Papa, and Dad.

Love,
Mom

Your First River Trip

Dear Charlie,

One of my favorite parts of living in Yuma is that we are so close to the Colorado River.  Who needs the cold, salty beach water, when we have warm, 80 degree fresh water?  Not this girl.  Our friends, Trish and Mark Ellsworth, have a boat, and they invited us to go to the river with them.  We parked up on the beach where the water was very shallow, and we let you splash around.  You love to splash in the water, so much in fact that I had to pause from writing my blog to put the dog dishes up just now.  You like to stick your hand in Madi's water dish and splash around.  Ok, back to the river. . .

Around 2:00 you started to get fussy, so Trish fed you a bottle.  She had the brilliant idea of putting you in the tube under the shade.  Needless to say, it was the perfect little bed for you.

Daddy thought this picture was funny.

You woke up about an hour later, and we had fun playing on the river.  Even though you're making a funny face in this picture, you really did have tons of fun playing with your family in the water.  Mark said that he would take you for a tube ride next time we go, but I think we might wait a few years for that.

I love that my children are happy being outside at the river.  It makes it fun for me to take you to places.  I can't wait for our next trip.

Love,
Mom

Indiana Trip 2012

Dear Charlie,

Last year we went to Indiana to visit our besties, the Adams. We had so much fun last year that we decided to go again for our 12 year wedding anniversary. These awesome people are the reasons for our visit to Indiana:

Aunt Lindsay

Uncle Brandt

Hailey

Brianna

Brandon

Sammy

As soon as we arrived in Indiana, Lindsay and Brandt had an itinerary full of fun-filled activities planned for us. Here is the order of festivities:

Day 1: Triathlon & Ruth's Chris
Your Dad and Uncle Brandt signed up to do a triathlon together. It was one of the hottest days in Indiana, and the triathlon started at 4 in the afternoon, but they pushed through it.

Waiting in line for their turn to swim

Daddy doing the breaststroke

Brandt freestyling

You and Charlie were in the stroller, and you were cheering him on. It was so cute! You kept saying, "Daddy, daddy!" and clapping your hands.

The next event was the bicycle ride. Unfortunately, Dad got a flat tire after the first lap and had to ditch his bike. He was a champ and still finished the event even with the setback.

The last event was the running, where Dad ran a 5K. As I stated before, it was a hot day, and I was sweating just watching.

This is one of my favorite pictures. Brandt getting ready to slap Dad's butt for a job well done.

After the triathlon, we went home, took a shower, and headed out for our anniversary dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Lindsay and I had never been there, but everyone has told me how delicious the steak is. I was so hungry and ready to sink my teeth into a juicy steak.

We ordered salads, calamari, a shrimp cocktail, ribeyes, asparagus, mashed and scalloped potatoes, and creme brulee for dessert. Mmmmm, it makes my tummy rumble just thinking about it. Dad even ate the tender meat right off of the bone. The dinner was definitely worth the small fortune we paid for it.

Day 2: Indy 500

Can you believe we did all that in just one day? The next day was our actual anniversary, and we went to the Indy 500, courtesy of Brandt and Lindsay. They bought us the tickets for our birthdays. Hailey was kind enough to babysit you and Charlie while your dad and I went to the race. I'm sure you had a great time playing with all the kids while we were gone.

Brandt also knows about the back roads, and he was able to get us a free parking space that was only about two miles from the stadium. (He said it was only a mile, but it was definitely more like two.) It didn't matter though because we got to walk with all of the other people going to the racetrack, and we were all pumped!

The boys had to carry the coolers all the way from the car to the stadium.
I was glad to be a girl that day.

These were the nice covered seats we had. Thanks Brandt for picking good seats! I don't think I could've stayed for the whole race if we were in the direct sunlight.

At the gate, they gave us these free sunglasses to wear in honor of a driver, Dan Wheldon, who died this year. They looked really silly, but it was a free souvenier.

This is what the stands looked like. Almost the entire stadium was filled with people. I felt sorry for all those saps sitting out in the sun.

Something funny that happened at the beginning of the race was the ridiculous number of songs they made us stand for. They started with "America the Beautiful," which was nice, and I proceeded to sit down. Then they told us to stand for another song, which I think was "Proud to be an American." Then we stood for the Indiana Anthem. And finally, we stood for the National Anthem sung my Martina McBride. There may have even been another song we stood for that I cannot remember. They all started to blend together after the first song.

They also said a prayer before the race. I guess I am used to the standard LDS prayer where they would ask to bless the safety of the drivers and the crew, etc., but this was completely unexpected. I felt like I was in a scene from Taladega Nights. The preacher kept praying for "The awesome, powerful engines" and then he would shout to the crowd, "Can I get an AMEN!?" The crowd would all shout, "AMEN." Some people were actually touched by this. The four of us were looking at each other and giggling uncomfortably from the irreverence of the prayer. Needless to say, it was awkward.

After the race, we went down to the track and took our picture.

We walked back to the car and stopped at a tamale place that Guy Fiery named as one of the best places to get tamales. I personally liked the carne asada tacos better than the tamales, but they were delicioso as well.

Day 3: Breakfast & Splash Pad

Monday morning started with, as written on the itinerary, "The Crappy Ward Breakfast" with Brandt and Lindsay's ward. The breakfast was appropriately named.  Since it was Memorial Day, the ward decided to have a presentation in honor of our armed forces. The idea was nice, but there were several flaws. The breakfast/program began at 9am. We arrived at 9:15, and the program had already begun. The food was all cooked and sitting out on the tables during the 1 hour presentation. By the time it was done, all of the food was cold, and you were restless. (Honestly, I was a pretty restless too. I couldn't hear anything they were saying, so I couldn't even enjoy the program.) The highlight of the breakfast was that Lindsay snagged me a scrumptious, homemade pastry stuffed with apple filling. It was totally worth the wait.  You also had fun playing in the grass at the park.

After the breakfast, we headed over to the splash pad, and the kids played in the water.  You weren't sure about the cold water at first, but you eventually warmed up to it.

Days 4 & 5: Chicago

Chicago!!! We rented a car and drove out to Chicago, which is about 3 hours away from Indianapolis. We stayed at the Hilton, and it was beautiful. It had a baby grande at the top of the staircase with a live pianist to greet us.

They also had a life-size version of one of my cow parade cows "Lucky Cow" out in the front lobby.

After we dropped off our stuff at the hotel, we headed out to the Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower. This is the tallest tower in the US and the tallest structure in the world.

They had a skybox at the top of the tower where you could look out at the city. I am terrified of heights, and it took a lot of courage for me to step onto the skybox and also allow you and Ella to. You were not afraid at all.

Since we were in Chicago, we stopped for some deep dish pizza. It was yummy, but I think I am more of a NY pizza kind of girl.

After I finished my pizza I took you and Ella back to the hotel and put you to bed. The adults stayed up and played cards and then went to bed.

The next morning we went to see the sights of Chicago.

Buckingham Fountain

Side Note: This is the same fountain shown at the beginning of a show called "Married with Children." It was very popular when I was in high school.

Hailey is an amazing artist. Maybe she'll go to school there someday.

I know it's silly, but this was one of my favorite parts of Chicago.

The Bean - I love the view of the city reflecting off of it.

Which one is the real Lindsay?

The next part of our trip was soooo cool! The Adams told us that we were going to a Cubs game, but what they didn't tell us was that the Cubs were playing against the Padres!!! As soon as I found out, I was kind of bummed that I hadn't brought any of my Padres gear. Then, they surprised us again by telling us that they had called your Nana and arranged for her to send us some Padres gear to wear at the game. It was so cool to be routing for the Padres at Wrigley Field. I thought that people would get really angry, but they were pretty nice about it.

The Adams routing for the Cubs

Go Padres!

Brandt also told us that we had to have a Chicago hot dog at the ballpark. Well, I never object to a hot dog at the ballpark. (That's usually the only place I will eat them.) As he was going to pick up the dogs for us, I asked him to make sure mine had mustard and relish. He laughed and said, "No. You'll see." This is what he brought back:

The picture doesn't do the relish justice. It is a bright green color, so bright in fact that I think they add food coloring to it to make it greener. It was yummy and full of flavor.

On our way home we stopped by Navy Pier, but just to use the restroom. Maybe next time we go we can spend more time there.

Dad loved Chicago so much that he said he wanted to live there. I loved it too, but I think the winters would be too cold for me. We thought that maybe we could become snowbirds when we retire and live in Chicago in the summer. I'm excited to go back and see more of the sights.

Days 6 to 10: Around the House & Children's Museum

The rest of the visit was spent hanging around the house in addition to a visit to the Children's Museum. I hope someday we can get a Children's Museum in Yuma.

Daddy spent a lot of time playing the Wii.

We played cornhole (bean bag toss) outside.

You were either watching from the stroller or hanging out on the trampoline.

We also discovered that you and your Dad make the same face.  He always says you look like my family, but I have the pictures to prove that you look like your Dad.

Lindsay let you try all kinds of new foods, which you loved.  You ate some of her homemade wheat bread, graham crackers, and asparagus.  You really enjoyed being able to hold something in your hands and eat it.

You also liked to scoot around their house and use their chairs as a jungle gym.

It was nice having your Daddy off of work to snuggle with too.

Our trip to the Children's Museum was tons of fun for you.  You really liked looking at yourself in the mirror.  They had a Hot Wheels exhibit and a Legos Exhibit that wasn't there last year.

I accidentally forgot to take this car away from you, but luckily Dad found it and put it back.

We all had so much fun at the Adams' house. Although we miss them terribly, it is nice to have an excuse to go and visit other places and have fun in a big city. They really went out of their way to make sure we had an amazing time while we were there. I hope some day you are as lucky as I am to have such great friends.

Love,

Mom