Its Char Char time

This, is Charlie. Also know as Char Char. He is almost 7 months old. 

He is the SWEETEST baby there is. He is rarely upset, and smiles at everyone. He will melt your heart. 

He is such a binkie baby, and I love it. It's so much easier to do everything, with him taking a binkie. He's upset in the car? put a binkie in. He woke up? put a binkie in. Henry hit him on the head? put a binkie in! 

He's a camera ham. I wonder why....

He has such beautiful blue eyes. I have no idea where they came from, but I adore them. I get lost in them. 

He puts up with Dad and Henry putting hats on him. Such a trooper. 

He is itchin to get mobile. He walks all over the place in his walker. And come on, is that not the cutest church outfit for a baby you have ever seen?!

He is HUGE. 97% for height 73% for weight and 100% for head. He is in 12 month clothes easy. 

He has no teeth yet! Its weird to me. I expected some by now. On his own time. 

 He is the perfect mellow addition to our high energy family. He provides the peace and calmness we need. He is a big piece of the Powell puzzle, and I am glad we got him. 

Its all about Henry

This is the Henry. He is just shy of 2 years old. Let me tell you about him. 

It really doesn't get much cuter, and more fun than this toddler, right here. I love being able to photograph my children as they are. How I want to remember them. Henry LOVES his blankie. It really is a staple in his life. 

He never really like binkies, but he sucks on his two fingers. I think its sweet, and I don't care to make him stop. I think he will give it up when he is ready, and thats ok. 

He has no pants on in some of the pictures because it was morning, and he wet right through his diaper in the middle of the night, like he frequently does, so most mornings he is pantsless. This kid has wicked fast kidneys, I tell ya. 

He is the healthiest eater of the fam. Always wanting fruit, lean proteins, and plenty of Vitamin C. He also has been known to build a mean lego tower. 

He is quite the little climber. He keeps me going ALL.DAY.LONG.

He still sleeps in a crib, and thats OK, too. Why rock the boat? he loves it. He actually likes to go to bed these days. I think he realizes how nice sleep is, and that he needs it. He will grab his blankie, climb up the stairs, into his room, turn off the light and say,"BYE!" 

This is his favorite book. Its a little Einsteins book. He points and knows what everything is, even if we've never said it before. 

Its my favorite age thus far. He knows who Jesus is, or as he says,"jeeeez"

This little guy steals my heart every single day, and I love it. 

cell phones 101

I saw this on my FB feed and it is hands down exactly everything I have thought about my sons having a phone one day, and I am so glad someone put it into words. I will be printing it out and making it into a contract the day my boys get a phone. 


I am always worried about how technology is desensitizing people, and more importantly children. Kids aren't growing up with the social skills they used to, and I think parents need to play a much larger role in entertaining their children, than cell phones do. I admit, I am totally guilty of buying Henry a new toy and thinking to myself,"This is great! this will keep him busy for a while." and thats ok sometimes, sometimes we need a break, but we need to be more involved.  



Greg Hoffman is a kid who just got an iPhone from his parents. His mom, Janell Hoffman, wrote these [slightly edited] rules for its use:

1. It is my phone. I bought it. I pay for it. I am loaning it to you. Aren't I the greatest?
2. I will always know the password.
3. If it rings, answer it. It is a phone. Say hello, use your manners. Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads "Mom" or "Dad". Not ever.
4. Hand the phone to one of your parents promptly at 7:30pm every school night & every weekend night at 9:00pm. It will be shut off for the night and turned on again at 7:30am. If you would not make a call to someone's land line, wherein their parents may answer first, then do not call or text. Listen to those instincts and respect other families like we would like to be respected.
5. It does not go to school with you. Have a conversation with the people you text in person. It's a life skill.
6. If it falls into the toilet, smashes on the ground, or vanishes into thin air, you are responsible for the replacement costs or repairs.
7. Do not use this technology to lie, fool, or deceive another human being. Do not involve yourself in conversations that are hurtful to others. Be a good friend first or stay the hell out of the crossfire.
8-9. Do not text, email, or say anything through this device you would not say in person.
10. No porn.
11. Turn it off, silence it, put it away in public. Especially in a restaurant, at the movies, or while speaking with another human being. You are not a rude person; do not allow the iPhone to change that.
12. Do not send or receive pictures of your private parts or anyone else's private parts. Don't laugh. Someday you will be tempted to do this despite your high intelligence. It is risky and could ruin your teenage/college/adult life. It is always a bad idea. Cyberspace is vast and more powerful than you. And it is hard to make anything of this magnitude disappear -- including a bad reputation.
13. Don't take a zillion pictures and videos. There is no need to document everything. Live your experiences. They will be stored in your memory for eternity.
14. Leave your phone home sometimes and feel safe and secure in that decision. It is not alive or an extension of you. Learn to live without it. Be bigger and more powerful than FOMO -- fear of missing out.
15. Download music that is new or classic or different than the millions of your peers that listen to the same exact stuff. Your generation has access to music like never before in history. Take advantage of that gift. Expand your horizons.
16. Play a game with words or puzzles or brain teasers every now and then.
17. Keep your eyes up. See the world happening around you. Stare out a window. Listen to the birds. Take a walk. Talk to a stranger. Wonder without googling.
18. You will mess up. I will take away your phone. We will sit down and talk about it. We will start over again. You & I, we are always learning. I am on your team. We are in this together.