The Life and Times of the Arning Bros.

Friday, July 8, 2011

A Little Piece of Americana...

We had such a fun Fourth of July! We started our day with the Skybrook neighborhood "parade." Mike and I decorated the wagon the night before so the boys were totally surprised when they saw it. Charlie said it looked like his very own "Jingle Truck." (If you have read Charlie's book of TRUCKS, you probably know what I'm talking about.) Both boys loved riding it in - at first. (More on that later.)

We got to the parade a little early, which would have been just fine had there not been child-sized motorized vehicles everywhere. We had a really hard time explaining to Charlie why he was not allowed to test drive everyone else's toy car. Note to self: Next year, get to the parade only moments before it starts.

Once the parade got under way, all was fine - except for Chase who, at this point, was not interested in riding in the wagon anymore. Poor Mike had to pull the wagon and carry Chase at the same time. (I was taking photos, of course!)

Anyway, we did have fun at the parade and the boys got a kick out of walking the parade route.

After the parade and naps, we set up the sprinklers and the water table in the backyard, which the boys adored. Then Mike and I grilled out a delicious dinner of brats, homemade loaded baked potato salad and homemade creamed corn. I also made strawberries dipped in white chocolate and blue sprinkles - red, white and blue strawberries!

It really was a great day and truly, a little piece of Americana...

Here are several photos from the parade and our very own jingle truck!

See the "Happy 4th" banner on the back? Isn't it cute?

And red, white and blue stars, plus flags... Our wagon had it all!

I love this picture. On our way to the parade!

Isn't Chase so cute in this photo?

Pensive Charlie

Mike and the boys, watching everyone gather for the parade.

You can probably tell from this picture that Charlie was a little annoyed.
He really wanted to ride everyone else's toy cars.

Here we go! Parade is under way!

See Mike and boys toward the left in the back?

"Before the parade passes by..."

"I love a parade..."

Charlie's really relaxed and in the groove now...
...eating Goldfish and letting his leg hang out of the wagon.

See. I was there too!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY EVERYONE!

Monday, July 4, 2011

Sprinkler Silliness

Mike and I took the boys to get haircuts on Saturday. Chase was an absolute, screaming mess, but that's another story.

Anyway, the hair salon ("Snip-Its") is located in Birkdale Village which is an outdoor "mall" with a wonderful water feature where kids can play. We'd already dressed the boys in their swim suits, so they were ready to go. Both boys seemed to have a great time, although Charlie did complain that the water was cold. Chase didn't seem to mind, but then again, we are talking about Chase.

Here are several photos from our Saturday Sprinkler Silliness.

Not sure who this little girl is, but Chase had his eye on her... and so did I!

When we started to get the boys dressed,
Chase took off back into the water.
We have a streaker on our hands!

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Cars "2" Much for Charlie

On Wednesday, Mike and I took Charlie to see his first movie at the movie theater - Cars 2, of course! Charlie was so excited and very much looking forward to it for several days ahead of time. Frankly, Mike and I were, too!

And, you know me. I couldn't let an opportunity like this pass by without taking full advantage of it.

First, I put together a Cars goody bag for Charlie to open as soon as he got up in the morning. He got two new personalized Cars dinner plates, a new Cars book and a new Cars puzzle. What fun!

Then, I made the entire family Cars pancakes. (The first batch looked more like mutant, zombie, wrecked cars, but the second batch actually resembled Mater and Lightning!)

And finally, I dressed Charlie in a Lightning McQueen t-shirt. I'm sorry, but I had to. I can't help myself.

We got to the theater just as the previews were ending, so we settled into our seats and started snacking on our popcorn. Before Cars 2 started, they showed a short Toy Story mini-movie. I thought it was adorable! Charlie? Not so much. Who'd have thought anyone could be scared of Woody or Buzz or any of the Toy Story characters? I mean really. What's there to be scared of?

Apparently a lot. Charlie was NOT happy and did NOT like the Toy Story mini-movie. He was even scared of Barbie and Ken! This did not bode well for the upcoming feature.

And, I was right. Not five minutes into the movie, Charlie started screaming. I can't even tell you what scared him. I really have no idea. Even Mater seemed to throw Charlie over the edge. I don't get it. We managed to keep him calm for parts of the movie, but frankly, Mike and I spent more time taking Charlie out into the hallway over and over again.

About halfway through the movie, we just gave up and left. (I'm sure the people sitting around us were thrilled!)

Oh, well.

As the saying goes, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. I think I might take Charlie to see the new Winnie the Pooh movie in a couple of weeks. That might be more his speed. (Pun intended.)

P.S. If you know how Cars 2 ends, let me know...