Bowman West

Ok, I know I can't just keep slacking and apologizing over and over but I just can't get around to blogging these days. I've really been trying to stay off the computer when Charlie's awake. His behavior has been great lately (sans the continual pants-wetting) due in large part to the fact that he gets what he wants -- me. I'm telling you, this kid is so unbelievably cute and sweet sometimes. He has two current fixations -- ears and professions of love. Charlie can't keep his hands off his own ears and the ears of those closest to him. He wants to rub our ears, babies' ears, cousins, aunts, friends, pretty much anyone who he feels affection for. This might concern me if not for the fact that countless people, when they see Charlie doing this, say that they used to do the same thing. Crazy. On to his next fixation -- Charlie has taken to telling me about 50 times a day something like, "Momma, I love you" or "Momma, you're the best in the whole world" or my personal favorite, "Momma, I think I like you." I LOVE IT! It's good that he has no idea the power that he gains over me when he says those things. I could be in big trouble. :)

Where to start? We had a busy June! It started off with a mini-vacation with just the three of us to Massunutten Resort in the mountains about 45 minutes from here. It was SO great to get away with just our little family. We swam at the resort, went to an awesome indoor waterpark and just enjoyed being together. We were supposed to have a family golf outing but it rained. I wasn't too disappointed since Charlie probably swings a golf club better than I do. Most of the photos in my last post were from this trip. The bathtub swallowing Charlie was the biggest tub I've ever seen! You could easily fit 4 people in there, although I'm pretty sure that shouldn't happen unless they are all under the age of four or sporting swim suits. Anyway, we got a lot of raincheck passes so we'll be going back. I can't wait!

My youngest sister, Melody, came to town mid-June. She's 20 weeks pregnant with my niece Harper Reese. I am so stinkin' excited and really sad at the same time since I won't be there when she delivers. They live in Lubbock and she's always been a huge help with Charlie. I hate that I won't be there to help with Harper. I love it here but it really stinks sometimes to be 1500 miles away! Mel's arrival was followed by my twin April and her baby Riley. Riley is the cutest, most hilarious baby girl. I'm not just saying that either. She entered the world with a huge personality and hasn't stopped to take a breath. I LOVE HER!! I consider her half mine so it hurts that she lives nine hours away. I think that's pretty selfish of April. :) My oldest sister, Misti, and her kids Jordyn and Landon arrived last to officially mark the start of Cousin Camp 2009. To clear things up, that's four sisters with four kids all staying in our townhouse for a week. Sounds scary, huh? (Andy was scared!) It actually turned out much better than anyone could have hoped for. Last summer it rained every day, Landon and Charlie fought non-stop, and we all got a horrible stomach virus. This summer everyone was perfectly healthy, it was completely sunny the entire time with highs in the 80s (jealous you Texans??), and the kids all got along really well. We couldn't have asked for a better week. It was sad to say goodbye but we all talk to each other almost every day and we try to Skype when we can. My advice to anyone wanting to do something like Cousin Camp??...plan, plan, plan and stick the schedule on the fridge! Mel and I worked out a meal and activity schedule before everyone arrived and it really helped things go smoothly. We took a two-day trip to DC, had a pizza & pool day at the cool new pool in town, spent a day at an amazing lake, ate at our favorite spots and showed off our town. We actually stuck to our schedule pretty well, and while it sounds like that might be type-A, it really cut down on the "What do you want to do today? I don't know, what do you want to do?" moments. We still took time to catch a bottle-full of fireflies, shoot the stomp rocket, play school, etc. but keeping the kids busy was crucial to the sanity of all involved. One more thing, it also helps if the one husband involved has a very busy work schedule as not to be driven crazy by the bizarre sister behavior and screaming cousins.

Lastly, I have to give a shout out to my baby daddy since Father's Day also occurred in June. Andy and I each have a lot of silly quirks, most of which compliment each other nicely. One of Andy's quirks is his serious affinity for Alton Brown (Food Network). If you're not familiar, Alton Brown is Mr. Wizard-meets-chef. Andy's seen almost every episode of his show and one in particular has stuck with him. For several years Andy has been wanting to follow Alton's lead and build a bbq smoker out of terracotta flower pots. I've successfully discouraged this for awhile, mainly because I could drive down the street and get delicious smoked brisket for a fraction of the cost and trouble it would take to mess with smoking anything ourselves. Well, since there is almost no beef bbq to be found here I finally gave in. For Father's Day I gave Andy Alton's two cookbooks as well as the encouragement to build his smoker. It was awesome!! Andy was giddy and he got to sit on the back patio, play with fire and drink beer for 8 hours while my sisters were here. If that doesn't say "I love you, Andy" I don't know what does...and the brisket turned out great!

I'll just end with a few photos. I've been posting pics on Facebook lately so I'll just post a few here:

P.S. Please excuse my lack of proofreading...I'm tired!