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A Lesson In Dutch Culture

Last month, Mommy and I invited Amy, Big Jim, Avery and Evan to visit Dutch Wonderland with us. It is a great local amusement park with lots of rides for little kids like us. I was SO excited for a day of rides, food and fun.

Little did I know that Professor Big Jim would take the opportunity to teach us all about Dutch culture.

He had so much fun telling us about the Netherlands that we didn't mention to him that the Pennsylvania Dutch are actually descendants of German immigrants. He was having too much fun 'educating' us about the other kind of Dutch!!!


When we first arrived, we stood at the measuring post to see what rides we were tall enough for - Big Jim said that this kind of measuring tool is very common in Holland, and that they appear on every street corner.












We drove fun boats - Big Jim informed us that boats are a main form of transportation for the Dutch since their country borders the North Sea.



Big Jim and Evan had fun driving their very own Dutch boat shaped like a log.


Monster trucks are very popular in the Netherlands. They are used to drive between the windmills.


Holland is famous for its cheese, so of course milking the cow to get their special Dutch milk is an important job.


For those families who can't afford a monster truck, a horse and buggy is the next best thing!!!



We worked up quite the appetite learning about the Dutch, so Big Jim and Mommy stood in a loooong line for the yummy Dutch cuisine of pizza, sandwiches and macaroni bites!


Since the Netherlands is a very flat country, they build slides all over the country to give kids the chance to experience the fun of a hill.

I chose not to experience this part of Dutch culture. Mommy was not upset with my choice.


You thought Venice was the place to go for a gondola ride? You're wrong!!! The Netherlands is the place to go!!

Notice the orange seats. Big Jim had a very fun nugget of info - he asked if we knew why Dutch athletes many times wear orange when there is no orange in their flag? He told us that originally the flag did have orange, for William of Orange, but the orange dye turned red when left outside, so it was eventually changed to red. Sorry about that, William of Orange!! At least the athletes still pay tribute to you!!


Next we were off to Duke's Lagoon. Duke is a very famous dragon in Dutch legend. He would leave little gifts for children when they left out their clogs at night. They were usually gifts that involved water.


More slides to entertain the mountain-challenged citizens.


I'm not sure if this is a traditional Dutch pose, but it sure did make me laugh!!


Learning about Dutch culture is VERY tiring!!


















As always, we had a BLAST with Professor Big Jim, Amy, Avery and Evan (who is my knight in shining armor!!)

***While Professor Big Jim did share lots of educational stories about the Netherlands with us, some of the stories told in this blog entry might have been embellished a bit. After all, this trip was over a month ago, and we might not have paid as close attention as we should have. We love you, Professor Big Jim :)

Dancey Dancey School

This morning I went to my very first "dancey dancey" class!

I was so excited that I didn't even hold it against Mommy when she dressed me in a leotard, tights and ballet shoes that were just TOO big for me (she swears that she looked everywhere for smaller sizes, but I'm sure she could have searched a little bit longer...)



After getting over the shock of having elephant ankles and knees, we drove through the deluge known as Tropical Storm Hanna to get to the studio. We were informed that the first part of class would be tap, so I had to change into my brand new "loud" shoes.









Like a good dancer, I got onto my mat in the circle and listened to the teacher as she tried to teach us to tap our sticks to the beat of the music.

(That's me to the left of the girl in the blue - I made sure that Mommy knew that Jules wasn't following the rule of wearing a black leotard and pink tights to class. I may be a graceful ballerina now, but that doesn't mean I am stepping down as policegirl of the preschool world.)


I didn't want to make too much noise (contrary to my singing philosophy) - notice that I am the only dancer still on my mat.


Miss Melanie finally convinced me to tap onto the loud floor - of course I only agreed when she told me I could hold her hand and lead the girls one way around the circle.



Whew!! Loud tap time is over, hand me my "dancey dancey" ballet shoes!!

Simba who?? I got to wear the lovely lion mask during our animal dance. Of course everyone thought I was just a regular lion - little did they know I was a lady Nittany Lion!!


Policegirl Charlotte here again, making sure all the girls stayed in line while waiting to do our animal crawls.


Have you ever seen a better monkey crawl in your life?? Quick - throw me a banana!


Class ended with my favorite - the scarf dance. I twirled and twirled until I couldn't twirl anymore...

I had a blast at my first "dancey dancey" class. I can't wait to go back next week!!

After class we went home, had lunch, then left for the York Fair to see the Doodlebops Live!! I didn't even notice the tropical storm falling all around us at the outdoor event...Mommy says she is still recovering from the day, so she'll post the Doodlebop pictures another time. Stay tuned!

Back To School - Honey Bear Style

Today was a big day at our house!

I started school in the Honey Bear room - no more Pooh Bears for me!! I strapped on my trusty backpack (one that is MUCH cooler than Dora's!!) and made my way to school with Mommy. Mommy is teaching two middle school classes this year, so I get to spend a few hours with my boys in the Honey Bear room. That's right - I'm the only girl once again, which means that I am the Queen Honey Bear :)


When Mommy picked me up, I was fast asleep on my mat. I had forgotten how tiring it is being at school! While I was snoozing, my new teacher Maia said that I had a WONDERFUL day. I even got a special sticker for being such a good helper during clean-up time. I had fun playing dress up and participating in art time, I ate all my lunch, and I made sure that Maia knew when the boys weren't following the rules. In all, it was a very successful inaugural Honey Bear day!

PS - If you like reminiscing (like my Mommy does), check out the blog entry about my first day of school last year. You can see how much I've grown in a year! Just click the link below:

http://charlottesweblink.blogspot.com/2007/08/first-day-of-school.html

My New Do

Three years and one month is a long time to grow hair.

For the first year of my life, Mommy wondered if I would ever get any hair.

Two years later, she wondered if it would ever stop!!


This is me right before going for my first haircut EVER.


We went to a really cool place called Kids Kutters. I needed a professional kid 'kutter' to help tame this crazy hair.














A cute smock, fun paintings on the wall, and "101 Dalmations" playing on the TV...who knew getting a haircut was so much fun?!!?



Wow! I feel so much lighter now!

















Because it was my first haircut, and because my stylist Angie said I did such a great job, I got my very own "First Haircut" Certificate!!


Don't hate me because I have beautiful hair!!

America's Next Top Toddler Model

Watch out Tyra Banks! Here I come!!

You are looking at America's Next Top Toddler Model, Charlotte. Like most supermodels, I will now be known by my first name only. Unlike most supermodels, though, I will continue to eat pasta and ice cream by the gallon!

No supermodel can really be called 'super' without the help of a world-class, ultra-talented photographer. I, of course, have my own personal photographer :) Jessica Barnak never ceases to take beautiful, artistic photos of me. I can only use the term "super" model with her help! Jessi, thank you again SO much for helping me join the ranks of Tyra, Heidi and Giselle!


I decided that this was the year of the smile. In photo shoots of that past with Jessi, I went with the more melancholy, hungry supermodel look (i.e. - "no smile"). I decided that the smile should be in vogue this year!!











This year, I had a modeling buddy at the shoot. Drew is a boy, and therefore not eligible for 'supermodel' status, but he did come very close. He loved Jessi's camera!!


Jessi's camera catches a rare quiet moment between Drew and me.















Future GapKids ad?!


Just as cute in black and white!!


We had a lot of fun at the photo shoot, Jessi. Thanks for coming out to Lancaster to give our family beautiful photos to cherish once again!!


Oh, and if anyone would like to book me for a shoot, contact my manager, Mommy.

Hilton Head By The Numbers

We returned from a wonderful week at Hilton Head on August 2. It's taken me a while to recover from all of the fun- sorry for the blog delay. I thought the best way to recap our trip was to detail our activities by the number:

Miles traveled by car: 1500

Speeding tickets: 0, unbelieveably!

"Bears" spotted in the woods: 5

Potty stops: approx 3 each way - not bad for a newly potty trained kid

Stops at "Burrito Heaven" (aka, Chipotle) - 1

Torrential downpours with hail encountered while traveling - 1

Highway sightings of JoePa's SUV and Drewbie's car: 4



Swimsuits that never got wet (some not pictured): 5




























"Sand castles" built by Drew and me: 4









Hushpuppies consumed: 9


















Pounds of ice cream enjoyed: 7


Outdoor childrens' shows viewed: 2


















We highly recommend seeing Gregg Russell and Shannon Tanner to anyone visiting Hilton Head. They were both very entertaining, and I danced and sang all night long at both shows!!




Minutes that I wore my sailors' cap during the vacation: 1


Dolphin fins spotted on our dolphin cruise: approx. 10

Dolphins sighted close to the boat: 2


Wonderful hours spent on the dolphin cruise with Mommy, Daddy and Nana: 2

I may not like going in the water, but I sure do love floating on top of it on a big boat!! I asked Daddy if he would buy me a boat for Christmas!!

Minutes I drove the dolphin boat all by myself: 2



Baby dolphins that I "caught": 2
















Times that someone attempted to get me into the beach house pool: 14

Nice try, Daddy. I think these swimmies will look better on you!


Days it took me to go into the ocean: 7

I made everyone wait, but on the last day of our vacation I FINALLY went into the ocean. It wasn't too bad as long as I wore my Crocs!! I even let Daddy take me all the way out until the water touched my arms!!

Fun that I had while on vacation: INFINITE!!

I had a BLAST at Hilton Head with Mommy, Daddy, JoePa, Nana, Aunt Sammi, Aunt Amy, Uncle Darin and Drewbie. Our house was huge, the beach was magnificent, we did so many fun activities...even though I wasn't crazy about the water, my whole family managed to give me a vacation that I will never forget!!!