Charlottrella

Charlottrella, Charlottrella, all I hear is Charlottrella,

From the moment that I get up, 'til shades of night are falling,

There isn't any let up, I hear them calling, calling!

I probably shouldn't use the brush I cleaned the toilet with to wash the dishes.

Hospital corners, hospital corners...Do I know how to do those?

Why did I have to put so many smudgey finger prints on these windows?!

Fold the laundry? I don't even know how to put on clothes, let alone fold them!

I'd rather play with the garbage than take it out.

OK, this is where Charlottrella draws the line. I don't do dog poop. You know what you can do with this poop bag...

Where is Prince Charming with my other glass slipper? Find me quickly before they have me cleaning the shower with a toothbrush!

PS - Mommy wants you to know that she took away the toilet brush right after the picture was taken and washed my hands, and in no way was I near any dog poop in the backyard. Just in case anyone was thinking of emailing his/her concern...:)

Pink Ladies

This summer, the Pink Ladies (Mommy, Auntie Sharon and Auntie Sue) have gotten together once a week to hang out. They have fun chatting and gossiping, but little do they know that the Junior Pink Ladies (Genna, Grace, Riley, Erin and I) are having even more fun chatting and gossiping. If the Pink Ladies only knew what we were saying...!


Hey, Genna. What do you think about that cute Junior T-Bird at the next table? Think I'll get his attention if I keep sucking on this straw while I stare at him?!





Don't get out, yet, Chaaaaaaaarlotte (that's how Genna says my name.) We still have to discuss last night's episode of "Project Runway."






Here, Chaaaaaaaarlotte. Try this fruity cheerio. I got the recipe off the internet last night. They're really easy to make.


Erin, you'll have to give me the dirt on kindergarten when you start next week. I heard you get two recesses, nap time and all the chocolate milk you can drink!








After the gossiping is finished, the older girls always play a few rounds of "Ring Around a Rosie." I always watch longingly from the sideline, clapping and smiling to hide my disappointment at not being able to join. I've known for a long time that I would be a great ringer around the rosie, but I needed to learn how to walk first.

Today, a very special event happened...








I BECAME A RINGER AROUND A ROSIE!!!!
















"Ring around a rosie, a pocket full of posies...

Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!!"


Let's ring around again!!

Peas and Carrots

Emmet and I are like peas and carrots.

You look thirsty. Have some juice. These sippy cups are great, aren't they, Em?

Thanks for cleaning my ear, Em. Now Mommy doesn't have to clean it in the bath tonight.

You cleaned my ears, now let me check yours.

Is this your way of telling me you want a belly rub?

Hey, Emmet, let's go on a walk. I'll lead!

Charlotte and Emmet can be peas and carrots together all they want, as long as they leave me alone. I'm broccoli. Just let me be broccoli by myself.

Anthracite Angel

Today I visited my Great Mom Mom and Great Pop Pop (my Nana's parents) up in coal country. I hadn't seen them since Christmas, so it was fun showing them all of my new tricks.

I had a great time playing with their dog, Nicky. He didn't seem to mind when I tugged at his fur or crawled around the house after him. Mommy calls this my "I'm so happy that there's a dog here I could just explode" face:

Hey, you have a snout. I didn't know that dogs had those.

My great-great grandma made this apron for my Nana when she was a little girl. Great Mom Mom gave it to me - I feel so special wearing something that my great-great grandma made!! Now I have something fun to wear for my cooking show!

Hey, Nemo, are you in there? I heard that there were some people trying to find you.

OK, just because my mommy used to sit on this stupid thing when she was a kid doesn't mean that I want to sit on it, too. I love animals, but you're not fooling me with this fake lawn ornament.

You want me to pick tomatoes? Sorry, my hands are too delicate and clean to fulfill any garden duties.
Hmmmmm. These tomatoes sure do look yummy, though. Maybe I'll pick just one.

Thanks for a fun afternoon, Great Mom Mom and Great Pop Pop. The mac and cheese was delicious! Sorry I made a mess. I hope to see you soon!

Charlotte's 4 "Steps" to Walking

OK, babies. Walking is a piece of cake. Even though I haven't taken more than five consecutive steps yet, here is my easy guide to learn how to walk.

1. Stretch.

2. Make sure you have something in your hand to keep your balance, close your eyes, use the force and let go of the toy basket.

3. Start to smile on the way to your target, because you know you're going to get applause and a big hug when you reach it.

4. If you fall, repeat to yourself: You're a great walker. It's all Mommy's fault. If she would put down the darned camera, your face wouldn't be in the carpet right now.

The Iron Charlotte

This weekend we were invited to my friends' Avery and Evan's house. Their daddy, Big Jim, had a party to christen his self-constructed cornhole set. He was very proud of his handiwork - there were lots of pretty stickers on his boards. I didn't even notice the grown-ups playing their silly game, though - I had too much fun cooking with Avery in her cool kitchen.



We're a great team in the kitchen. We should get our own show on the Food Network. Let's call it "Semi-Homemade, Semi-Plastic 30 Minute Meals with Iron Chefs Avery and Charlotte."








Here Avery, try my newest creation - plastic bread. As Rachael Ray would say, "Yum-o!"

I know this is your kitchen, Avery, but let me show you how to rinse off this ketchup bottle in the sink. It's very important to keep things sanitary.

During the commercials of our cooking show, I can play the piano to entertain our live studio audience. How about some "Chopsticks?!"

PS - More and more often I'm letting go of furniture and taking a few steps. Last night at Nana and JoePa's I made everyone go crazy when I would walk (like a drunk person, as Mommy kept saying)from Mommy over to JoePa. I even let go of the kitchen wall and attempted to stroll over to Mommy - I thought she was getting cheese out of the refrigerator!

Don't Fence Me In

Actually, Trixie and Emmet begged to be fenced in, so two nice Mennonite guys came and built this beautiful fence in our backyard last week. Mommy says that Emmet and Trixie really needed the fence so they could run around like crazy dogs and tire themselves out, but I really think this is a conspiracy to keep me from venturing out into the world.

There has to be a way out of here. Come on, Emmet, help me find it!

Run, Forrest..., I mean Emmet! Trixie may be an old lady, but she's been cooped up for four months just like you!

Em and Trix are so excited to have their new fence that they can't control themselves. I'm still not so sure, though. Once I figure out this walking thing, my next mission will be to escape the fence. I can get Emmet out of his crate - how hard could a fence be?!

Step by Step

For the past two weeks I've been able to stand on my own without holding onto the furniture for support. Mommy is amazed at how well I can balance myself. I'm amazed at how much taller I am than Trixie and Emmet when I stand like this!

It might look like I'm about to fall here, but I'm actually practicing a ballet plié. I can bend all the way down and then stand right back up with holding on to anything!

Even more exciting than standing on my own, though, is the fact that on Sunday night I took my first two unassisted steps!! I went from the middle of the family room floor over to Daddy's ottoman! Mommy, Daddy, Auntie Tara and Jamie were all there to witness the big event - they even clapped for me!!

Unfortunately, Mommy didn't have the camera ready to capture the excitement. Here are some photos of me practicing this two-legged mode of transportation with my walker. Hopefully I won't need to use it for much longer (especially since it's hard to get out of a corner with this thing!)

Say Cheese!

Q: What happens when the three pugs in the house hear the cheese drawer of the refrigerator being opened?

A: They all run as fast as they can to the kitchen, get into an obedient 'sit' position, and stare hungrily at Mommy with their puppy dog eyes. Could you resist giving these faces a piece of cheese?!