Puddle Jumper!

I couldn't resist these rain boots. Yes, it's true. Charlie will probably only wear them once or twice before he grows out of them, but they were just TOO CUTE! You'll see what I mean. So, when we got an afternoon thunderstorm the other day, I just had to let Charlie play in the puddles afterwards. Plus, it made for a great photo op!

Oh, and I got Chase a pair, too. He was napping while we were outside playing, so he STILL hasn't worn his rain boots. Oh, well!

Oh, and one more thing. I got them both matching jackets, too.

I CAN'T HELP MYSELF!

But, the pictures are cute, right?!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

I guess you can tell that life's gotten a little busy lately. My last post was May 15, and frankly, I can't remember the last time I went more than a week without at least one blog entry.

As a mother of two busy toddlers, in addition to my roles as cafeteria manager, head of housekeeping, bus driver, CFO and event planner for the Piedmont Arning Chapter, plus my paid position as Marketing Manager at True Speed Communication, I would love to say that work and motherhood has kept me busy these last couple of weeks.

While that is very true, I must also admit that I have had a little bit of fun as well. Last weekend, I joined seven other girls/moms on a short, weekend trip to Myrtle Beach. Most of them were my neighbors, but a couple were just friends I've met over the last two years. To say that I had fun is an understatement. I had an absolute blast. We talked until we were blue in the face, played board games and laughed like crazy, ate out each night, laid by the pool on Saturday and went to a dueling pianos bar on Saturday night - my favorite!

When I got home late Sunday afternoon, I was totally exhausted, but so happy to see my family. I missed my boys - all three of them - but I do think it's good to get away and recharge the batteries every now and then.

Many thanks to my wonderful hubby for allowing me the weekend away and also thanks to Oma for watching the boys while Mike was working.

Wanna see some pictures from our festive weekend? Lucky for you, I just happen to have a few:

Erin, Christina, me and Cristene 

These are "Capri Suns" for Mommies. Yes, there's actually alcohol in there!
(No, they're not really Capri Suns.)

Isn't everyone beautiful? Lyndsey, Erin, Cristene, Stacey, Michelle and Christina

This is Lyndsey. We celebrated her 30th birthday party while we were there.
(Yes, she just turned 30. Ugh.)

Lyndsey and Erin. 

Erin and Christina

Stacey and Erin

And me. I was there too!
SO FUN!

CHAR-WEE!

Chase is so adorable. Really. I love how he says his big brother's name. It's so cute!

Here's video of a favorite game in the Arning household... piling pillows on top of Charlie and "searching" for him.

You'll hear Chase call out for big brother. I think you'll love it as much as I do!

Graffiti Artist

As you may or may not know, Charlie has a new occupation... graffiti artist. Yes, it's true. I'm sure it won't be long before his work graces the streets and subways of New York City or some other metropolitan area.

You may be wondering where he honed his skills. He is only 3-years-old, after all. Well, my friends, I can answer that question for you now.

My house.

That's right. I'm sure it was just a matter of time, but Charlie decided that my upstairs foyer and Chase's room really needed some oomph, so he helped me out by taking green and orange crayon and decorating the walls with his signature designs.

Oh, joy.

Mike was so thrilled, in fact, that he immediately threw all of the crayons and coloring books in the trash.   Seriously, in the trash. Didn't store them away for later use or perhaps give them to Goodwill or something. No. He trashed them.

Alrighty, then.

Here's a look at Charlie Arning's latest masterpiece.

P.S. Magic Eraser truly is magic.

Charlie Beckham

It's official. We have a future soccer star on our hands, I just know it!
Ok, so maybe I exaggerate just a wee bit, but still, how fun is it to watch a video of a 3-year-old playing soccer?

I would like to point out that if the video is wobbly at times, just imagine me trying to corral, catch or hang on to Chase. That explains the shaky picture. And, the lady shouting at her kid is not me. Just wanted to make that clear.

My favorite moment is the wipe out, fillowed closely by the wondering off...

And, his run totally cracks me up, but what a cutie!

David Beckham, look out!

Happy Mother's Day from the Arning Bros.

It's hard to believe but this is my fourth Mother's Day. Isn't that amazing? Where has the time gone? 


It feels like just last year that I was celebrating Mother's Day for the first time, but now, I have two beautiful, amazing little boys that call me "Mama."I still can't believe it. 


Here are some of my favorite things about being a Mom to Charlie and Chase:

• Snuggling with Chase in the early morning and watching the news while he drinks his milk.
• Listening to the two of them making each other laugh.
• Dancing to The Hampster Dance Song again, and again, and again...
• Watching them chase each other around the hallway over and over as they giggle the entire time.
• Watching Chase try to jump up and down. 
• Listening to Charlie sing when he doesn't know I'm paying attention.
• Watching Chase read a book with such great intent.
• Watching Charlie interact with other kids and seeing how sweet and polite he is.
• Listening to Chase carry a "conversation" because he knows exactly what he wants to say.
• Getting the biggest bear hugs from Chase.
• The moments when Charlie touches me or leans on me because this is his way of telling me he loves me.
• Reading to them right before bedtime when they're in their pajamas.
• Laying with Charlie before he goes to sleep and whispering to each other about what our favorite part of the day was.
• And so much more...

I love these little boys with all my heart. Yes, they drive me crazy sometimes and I often question my sanity, but my life would be incomplete without them. After years of trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, on December 18, 2007, I finally figured it out. I just want to be a Mom to these two little monkeys. 

Oh, and maybe meet Harry Connick Jr...

Anyway, I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day too! Here are several photos from my day.

Enjoy!

Is he cute or what?

Who's the new UT basketball coach? He needs to meet my son!

Love my sweet Chasie!

Doesn't he have the greatest smile?

And his laugh is infectious too!

I love it when Charlie lets me give him kikis!

He has an awesome smile too!

I love this picture...

YEAH! A picture of the four of us!

Oma spent the morning with us, too.

Oma loves her boys!

He's very pensive, eh?

Love photos like this...

Sweet, sweet sweet!

Oh, man. You KNOW I love photos from behind!

Waiting for ice cream!

Happy Mother's Day!

Celebrating Mom and Dad

Today, all of the Moms and Dads were invited to school to celebrate Mother's Day and Father's Day (a little early). We were given wonderful, hand-made gifts and we were serenaded by the entire class. It was so sweet!

I can't believe the year is coming to a close. It absolutely flew by! It makes me sad to think that I only have two more years with Charlie at home before he starts kindergarten. But, what an amazing first year of preschool, though. We couldn't have asked for better teachers! Mrs. Yascur and Mrs. Mundy were so wonderful and so full of love. We will miss them dearly!

Here are a couple of photos from today's Mother's Day / Father's Day celebration at preschool.

This is one of the art projects Charlie made for us.

And this is the other.

Charlie was the special helper today at school. What a cute display, right?!

Here's Charlie coming into the room, bringing me a flower he made.

And, this is what Mrs. Yascur and Mrs. Mundy deal with daily...
...trying to get 12 three-year-olds to do the same thing at the same time. 

So, everyone's facing the front now and is ready to sing, right?

That is until Charlie notices the fire alarm on the wall.
(He's obsessed with fire alarms and smoke detectors. He stared at it the entire time.)

And, this is Charlie's preschool class. What a group of cuties!

Mrs. Mundy and Mrs. Yascur. Oh, how we love them!

Charlie Monkey. The cutest!

That's Dedication!

Charlie really, really loves his new bike. In fact, he loves it so much that the first thing he does in the morning is head out to the deck to ride his bike, which is usually followed by breakfast on the bike... or vice versa.

I took this video over the weekend. It was a beautiful morning but there was a slight chill in the air. Did that stop Charlie? Not in the least. He was bound and determined to ride his bike, even if that meant he had to wear gloves. Now, that's dedication.

And yes, the bike is back on the deck. It's a struggle, people.