Charley and Me!

As many of you know I worked as a graduate assistant and went to grad school for the past 2 years. It has been a fun but tough time for me. And through it all I have missed my Charley so much! I finished school on May 7 and I have been able to spend some quality time with Charley. He is the sweetest 4 year old that I have ever known. He will just come give you a hug for no particular reason other than that he loves you! I love it. He has been the perfect last child.

While Emma and Jack have been at school the past few weeks Charley and I have had some wonderful times together. We have built train tracks, lincoln log houses, little people land and read about a million and one stories but I have loved every minute of it. We have gone to Emma's play, eaten lunch together and done many grocery store trips (and maybe an expensive trip to Costco, How do you say no to the cutest 4 year old??). I can't express how much this time has meant to me.

Charley has taught me how to laugh at myself and life itself. He lives in a world where no one will damper his spirits. He loves life and I love seeing life through his eyes. He has given me a new outlook on life and I am grateful for him and the love I have for my little Charley. If you know Charley you know what an amazing spirit he has and his vigor for life. I treasure it.

In a recent scrapbook layout I created for Charley, I discussed the 10 things I love about him. Here are the reasons I love my Charley:

1. I love his Smile.
2. I love the joy on his face when I pick him up from Day Care! It makes my day!
3. I love his snuggles on Friday mornings after everyone leaves for school and work. He climbs in my bed and snuggles all morning with me. It makes my week!
4. I love that when he hears music he starts dancing....and he has no worries about who is watching. He has a rhythm that keeps on moving. I hope he keeps dancing.
5. I love that he can keep himself entertained for hours and hours, especially with "little people!"
6. I love that he loves his monkey, Curious George, as much as he loves me! (Picture Below)
7. I love that he doesn't know he is dirty, especially when he is playing hard.
8. I love how much he loves his brother, Jack. I love finding them playing superheroes!
9. I love his big brown eyes. They melt my heart every time.
10. I love that every morning he asks me for 'fruit snacks,' as if they are a breakfast item! Cracks me up every morning!

Having Charley in our family has been a wonderful time and such an eye opener to what is good in this world. It is an amazing experience watching your children grow up. They each have their own personalities and it is a different experience raising each of them. My mom was right, you have to raise each child in their own unique way. You can't have the same rules for each of them and sometimes they don't understand that, so that can get complicated. But I enjoy it so much! My children are wonderful and I wouldn't trade any of this journey for anything.

Enjoy the pictures of Charley and I over the last couple weeks. It has been a great 2 weeks and I look forward to the rest of the summer with my Charley! :)