The Mini Van

Now this one has been a long time coming...

Why is it that people have such an aversion to the "Mini Van"? You know, I guess was one of those guys years ago, when my buddies bought a van, but never with venom. There are some people out there who really HATE the Mini Van!

I haven't mentioned it on Charlie's site, but Beck and I recently bought a Nissan Quest. We traded in her '98 Honda Civic, which had become the car for the parent who didn't have the baby for the day.

A van is just so practical for us... especially if our family grows. It's so easy to load and unload, and the Quest has got to be the most comfortable van ever made. We love it.

So I always wonder: Why is it such a lightning rod for critcism? Are people really so afraid to let go of their "youth" and embrace being a parent?

Maybe I'm way off. I probably don't understand the reasoning at all. What I know is that we just came back from a 3-hour drive (that became a 5-hour drive because of traffic), and it was probably the BEST ride I've had. That's not even mentioning how comfortable Beck and Charlie were.

Listen carefully: "M-I-N-I-V-A-N" does not spell the end of your life.

I've taken a lot of ribbing lately for buying a van, and just let it roll off my back. Now it's time to go on the offensive! I believe I will start a new group of "Soccer Dads" who can appreciate how practical it is to have a van in the driveway.

So for everyone else out there... keep craming your kids into your coupes and your sports cars. Think of the Davis' watching Shrek on the DVD player while we venture on road trips with our family in full comfort (with PLENTY of storage space).

Man, does my stance on this topic make me laugh!!!

I Feel Like We're Catching Up A Little

After a month of hyperdrive development, it seems as though we're getting more accustomed to the pace. No, Charlie isn't slowing down at all, it just feels like Beck and I are finally able to keep pace with her... at least for a couple days!!

We're so lucky to have this beautiful little girl. She has been more adorable, more entertaining, and more lovable than we ever imagined. And each day brings more smiles.

I remember back a few years when I watched my niece Maddie crawling all over her Grandparents house (my sister-in-laws parents house). She was the fastest crawler I'd ever seen. I remember my brother Jim and sister-in-law Kathy reminding each other that she's "just a baby," when she was getting into things.

Honestly, I'm not sure if it was the same visit, but I remember those two things pretty distinctly about my niece when she was real young. (They live in Oregon).

I remember thinking, "It must be hard to not be angry or upset with your baby when she does something wrong, but you just have to remember that she doesn't know any better."

I'm not really sure if this is what my brother and his wife meant when they said it, but that's what I got out of it... and I think about it all the time.

Charlie likes to scale "Mt. Daddy" these days, and she is getting quite good at it. In fact, so good that she goes fastest when she uses my ears and nose to hold on to. She also will stand over me and whack me in the head when she's reached the "summit".

I keep telling myself that she doesn't realize that she's whacking me pretty good, and truthfully, I just enjoy being able to play with her.

How fun. Just knowing the amount of learning going on in her head right now... Amazing.

Struggling to Keep Up!

I am struggling to find time for the "extra" stuff these days. As most of you know, Beck and I are very fortunate to be able to both spend a couple of days a week with Charlie, on our own... and we're both able to dedicate specific days for our work.

The thing is, when do you do the "extra" stuff?

Charlie has spent the last 5 weeks in over-drive developmentally. She started to crawl at the beginning of June, and it's been a race ever since.

First the crawling was very difficult for her, and she became dedicated to getting it down. Then, Daddy propped her up against a laundry basket so she could learn to kneel and that's all she wanted to do... then it was hanging onto the same basket while she stood.

Now of course... only 5 weeks later she has mastered kneeling (whether she has to pull herself up or not), and she is working herself silly trying to pull herself to a standing position. She is so determined it's funny!

With all this going on, we are finding it very difficult to keep up.

I should be working on a video edit right now, but Charlie is sleeping in her swing, and I need to add music to the project. I have to hear it, so I have to wait until later tonight.

My point here is this: We're really enjoying ourselves. Everyone has constantly said, "enjoy this time, enjoy this time," since Charlie was born. We've taken the advice.

So I'd like to apologize for not being very timely with video and blogging over the last few weeks. Quite frankly, by the time our day is over, Beck and I have been crashing at 9:00 or 10:00pm.

I am on final edits for "Charlie Learns to Crawl - Part 2". I probably should have given away so much here, but for those of you who regularly read my blog, you deserve an "inside scoop"!!