There's TWO of them!

Did you know that? Well, probably most of you did because I assume at this point only my mom and grandma are reading this. And frankly, if either of them don't know about Charlie, it's time to get that Alzheimer's consult scheduled.

Anyway, yes, there's another lovable time and energy suck residing in our home (Guess what? It's been so long that there's a new one of those too!). His name is Charlie (dammit, I already told you that...time for that Alzheimer's consult for me) and he's already ONE! Seriously, he's one. Which means I've woefully neglected this place (sorry Mom and Grandma).

Apologies aside, here's a little info about our little guy. He arrived fast. On August 29th around 9:30pm we were leaving a restaurant after dinner with friends and when they asked "You feel like you'll have that baby anytime soon?", I responded by saying, "I'm still hoping for tonight." Well, by midnight we were dropping Lindsay off with her daycare provider who kept her overnight and by about 2:15am (as if I can remember an exact time), Charlie Robert had joined our family.

Since then, well, he's been an adventure. He's infinitely needier than Lindsay ever was, but also infinitely more smiley and adventurous. He was even walking by 10 1/2 months...I could've done without that. He really does bring a smile to *almost* everyone's face that sees him. I say almost because occasionally you run into a curmudgeon who can't be softened by this face (I'm looking at you, two ladies behind us at the Twins game last night):

I'm not lying when I say Charlie is the light of every room. When he gets to daycare, all the kids rush over and yell "CHARLIE!" He's the Norm of daycare. If that keeps up, I imagine he'll be a big hit at college. I now look at every kid he meets as a potential Cliff to his Norm.

Really the only "problem" with Charlie is that he's an early riser. Early for us, at least, usually getting up around 6:45am or so. Now before you lose your minds about how ridiculous it is that we consider that early, you need to understand that Lindsay generally will sleep in until after 9am on weekends. Now is the time I expect all of you to shed a tear for us. The only good thing about getting up at that time is that by the time I normally would be getting up, I have all my lazy morning stuff done already, so we have more time to get stuff done or have good, old-fashioned family fun (and heck....even write a yearly blog post).

Happy Hour

In the not-so-distant past (although it feels like a lifetime ago), happy hour meant heading to the bar for a couple cocktails and appetizers with friends after work. And if things got really crazy, maybe some karaoke and dancing before heading home.

During the rush of our evenings, I think back fondly on the days when I could decide last minute that Kevin and I needed drinks instead of heading straight home. But, while cooking supper the other night, it struck me that maybe that first hour or two after work isn't quite as different as I've come to think it was.

Sure, there aren't buffalo wings or cheese curds, but I often get fruit snacks or an apple. Not as good, but a hell of a lot healthier.  And there certainly aren't 2-for-1's, but let's be honest, wine is often involved. And my friends are never involved, but my 3 favorite people are always there.

So you know what? It really still is Happy Hour. The scenery and the characters are different, but it's still pretty damn fun. And you know what? Sometimes things get really crazy and we end up with some some dancing too.