Labor Day

We had a manual-labor filled Labor Day. Sounds awful right? Literal labor on Labor Day weekend? It actually wasn't so bad. Adam was suppose to have last Friday off. It didn't happen. We were suppose to drive up to his mom's house Friday morning. We didn't get there until 10:00pm. 'Gigi' needed help repairing a fence and gate. We don't get to see Gigi too often, and Charty was so excited to see her.

Everybody got together on Saturday night for dinner: Noni, Popi & the Riggle Family. The initial meet-n-greet didn't run too smoothly. I forgot to put Eloise away in another room before Violet arrived. Violet came running into the house, all excited and spotted Eloise and started screaming, which scared the bejesus out of Eloise (gave that dog a taste of her own medicine) and then Eloise started barking and nipping at Violet's toes, kind of a I'm-gonna-get-you-before-you-get-me thing but I managed to wrangle her away from Violet's toes, no harm done. The confrontation and screaming-barking scared Charlotte, who ran to Popi, arms up, looking for someone to save her.

Dinner was so fun and delicious! We all really enjoyed it. My super-sweet inlaws prepared an impromptu early-birthday party for me and Bob (whom Adam has dubbed 'U.B.' (Uncle Bob)) made the most delicious carrot cake I have ever had in my life. I don't know how many pieces I devoured that night but I ate some for breakfast and lunch the next day too. Poor Violet really wanted Charlotte to play hide-n-seek or dolls or, you know, something with her. Sorry girl, Charty is still completely and totally all-about-Charlotte, "me" centered. Gigi said she can't wait for Charlotte to grow up so that they can play together. Whew. I'm not ready. I'm going to enjoy this moment! Oh, she'll never be this age again!

The next day, I met Noni & Popi and they took Charlotte for the day so that I could help Adam & Gigi tackle that fence. It was actually fun (not nearly as intense as caring for a 20 month old all day, it was a nice break. Yep.)

I checked in with Popi mid-day and they were in no hurry for us to come. Alright. Freedom! They took a field trip to get Charty an armchair like her Popi's so they could sit next to each other and watch cartoons.

Adam & I went to dinner that night too! So, I'd say in all it was a super weekend.

Charlotte has started saying "no" to everything. I'll ask her if she wants to take a bath. 'mmmm no'. Do you want to give Moses a big hug? 'mmmmm no'. Do you want a piece of delicious chocolate candy? 'mmmmm no'. Real sweet and quiet. We'll ask her a yes question, like do you want candy and then we'll say 'yes!' and nod our heads. She'll look at us and try to nod, then gets kind of swirly, gets kind of confused halfway through and shakes her head. I also think she's starting to test boundaries. Uh-oh. Yesterday she kept knocked over the bicycles twice. She also drug Moses around by his whiskers. A couple of little for-instances like that. Right now my mean voice and my mad face work to get her attention but it's coming. Don't think I won't put her in the corner! Yesterday at Dick's Sporting Goods she was a little monster! Cute, but into everything. She would hide in the running shorts and pop out at people and say 'RAR!', claws out, like a bear. Like she was fixin' to get 'em!

I'll admit...it's not uncommon for people to refer to me as a whiner. I don't know - it's just part of my natural temperment I suppose. It has also been explained to me how annoying of a habit it is. Awe shoot...whatever, I know it's actually kind of cute - or so I believed until I spent an entire day with a whining toddler. Furniture shopping was not how Charlotte Rose wanted to spend her Monday. It was high time Adam and I picked out our new bedroom furniture. Adam & I differ on styling and he is much more particular about quality? Not that I want something rickety but he's a stickler for it. I'm talking he doesn't want furniture that's been nailed and glued. He wants english & french dove-tail and wooden tracks and no veneer or soft wood. Which is super (insert sarcasm here). My husband has champagne taste on a beer budget (stealing my MIL's phrase). Is it tacky to mention budget? If so, I apologize. So,we're having a hard time finding anything locally so we decide to drive 90 miles to Thomaston, GA to go to Bostwick's (in-laws recommended).

It's already been a long day, right and we drove an hour and a half and something terrible happened on the way there. It had been raining and we passed a turtle trying to cross the road and we couldn't find a place to turn around and help it cross safely. So, we vowed that with the next turtle, we would. We spotted the turtle, swerved to avoid hitting it ourselves and turned around. We pulled over a little, right in front of the turtle, flashers on. Up over the hill behind us races a sedan. HE HIT THE TURTLE! Right there in front of us, trying to do our good deed, the turtle exploded! That would only happen to Adam & me. Noni has saved probably 1,000 turtles in her life and surely known have ever exploded via impact of passing car as she's making her galant effort.

We were in shock for like 5 minutes and then we were really depressed. Obviously questioning whether we chose the right day to drive to Thomaston. We finally arrived and strapped Charty into her stroller ONLY to find out that the store has 6 floors of furniture and no elevator. So, out of her stroller she comes- zipping around, climbing this, up and down the stairs, slamming doors to china cabinets and everytime we stop her, she throws her head back and whines and whines and on and on we go. I'm about to pull out my hair. Meanwhile, Adam's browsing the furniture, don't like that, or that, or that...

Why Adam?

I don't know, I just don't.

Okay, good, so you are going to make this easy. Super.

And then finally we find it. Miraculously, Adam & I both love the styling and the quality is top-notch. Only the entire suite is covered in red "SOLD" tags and we don't know the price. My patience is gone. I find a salesman and ask him for the price of the suite. He leaves, Adam & Charlotte climb onto the bed, Charlotte starts jumping and Adam starts tickling her (it's either this or listen to the whine, the I-want-to-go-go-go-now-now-now! He comes back. The price is a good 40% higher than we budgeted. I tell him, well this is the furniture we like and you're going to have to make it work for THIS price, make this happens and I'll write you a check. And he says okay! And nothing like this has ever happened to me before! And I'm still so proud of myself. And Adam was proud of me too.

But I have a confession: it was the day of constant whining that drove me to that brazen act of bravado! If I had been my normal, relaxed, sweet self I never would have made that deal...so see, whining does sometimes pay. Whining and assertion...my new mantra.

Adam wrote the check, I took Charlotte out for a stroll in downtown Thomaston and who should appear but her Popi! Appeared right out of nowhere! He had Jakob and was headed to the Flint river and saw us so he pulled over. Oh, Charlotte got so excited and so tickled. She ran to her Popi, big hug and then got to see Jakob. It was all fun until it was time for the boys to go. Then, she was heartbroken. Started crying huge alligator tears. Popi was heartbroken too...so he bought her a boat. You think I'm kidding? You don't know my dad. He saw a boat for sale, figured it to be a sign from above; he hasn't had a boat in a couple of years and with his girls he instills a love of the water. So, next summer, Charlotte can go tubing.

I guess it will be up to Adam & me to get the lake house. Oh, dear.