Charlie's Birth Announcement

Here's a small copy of Charlie's birth announcement.
It went into the mail this last weekend.

As many of you know, I'm really into astrology and one of my favorite books is The New Astrology by Suzanne White, which combines Western and Eastern astrology. Charlie is a Leo born in the Chinese year of the Tiger. Double cat! I wanted to share a section from her book about Leo / Tigers.

"Leo / Tigers are gutsy. In adversity they have the courage of ten lions and as many tigers, all leaders of the pack. They can laugh all the way through illness, exile, sorrow and loss, and still keep their pride posted like a neon sign that flashes HOPE in the densest darknesses that befall them. Theirs is not a bouncy Rooster or Aries resiliency. The Leo / Tiger's pick-me-up takes the form of a long prowl, watching, psyching out the enemy, slinking through the underbrush on padded feet, circling the field hundreds of times waiting for the propitious time for comeback. Then, POUNCE! They are on their feet and running again as though nothing had happened. No migraines. No back-aches. Just the panacea of all Tiger ills - movement! As long as the Leo / Tiger doesn't have to sit in one place waiting for time to improve, he can get through anything - he can even defy death so long as nobody hobbles his chunky tough legs."

And now the gratuitous photo section:

Kiss him...

Ignore him...

Check his diaper...

Hypnotize him...

Bless him...

Shush him...

Play dumb...

Bedtime Stories

The twins have helped Jack and I put Walker to bed the last two nights - each one reading a favorite story. Below, Julia reads to Walker while Jacquline and Aunt Maura listen in.

Jacqueline reads to Walker:

And Jacqueline and Charlie asleep on the sofa...

And after Walker is down, Charlie and Mama get some snuggle time.

Botanical Garden

Jacquline and Julia and Aunt Maura accompany the Dallas Greenmans to their favorite place - the Arboretum! Pumpkins, flowers, sculptures, a watermelon break and best of all - fountains to keep us cool! The girls are so fantastic with Walker and Charlie. Its really astonishing to see what lovely young ladies they have become. When I first met these two cuties, they were younger than Walker! Now, they're 10 years old. Where does the time go? Anyway... what a wonderful day!

Everyone Gets a Turn

Aunt Maura and cousins Jacqueline and Julia are here for the weekend! We had a wonderful afternoon passing Charlie around from one set of loving arms to the next. Walker was also thrilled to have captive and enthusiastic playmates who explained to him the finer points of hide and seek. This is the first time that the twins have been around a new baby. They are both smitten and awed by his "tiny-ness". I agree, there is nothing more precious than tiny toes and baby fingers.

Twister!

We've received lots of concerned calls and emails over the past 12 hours. Many of you heard about or saw footage of the tornado that struck South Dallas yesterday afternoon. We also had a smaller tornado strike North DFW, closer to our home. Luckily, we were totally unaffected by the twister. Its been raining now for over 24 hours and the sky is still gray-green. We're going to stay home today and enjoy some indoor activities. Here are some local news photos of yesterday's tornado.




A friend of mine is lending me this beautiful baby sling for a few months. This is how I get stuff done around the house - I sling the baby and stay hands free. Thanks, Angelica, Charlie loves it!

Another friend brought us a beautiful meal the other night. She also tucked in some red white and blue Labor Day cupcakes. Thank you Angie! Here is Walker enjoying one after lunch today...

Ready for my close-up

First day on our reflux medication. I hope it does the trick and helps Charlie settle his tummy and esophageal problems. We're enjoying a very rainy, tropical storm-ish kind of day at home. The light was good by my bedroom window, so I thought I'd snap a few.