Sweethearts on the Hill

Another Hatcher Adventure! Recently, we decided it was time to go on a family hike. There was lots of discussion beforehand about where we should go, how far of a hike, who should join us, etc. I've been a little hesitant about Richie hiking just because his ankle is completely jacked up - but he insists that he is not going to miss out on these memories with his family. So, he suggested we go to Chimney Tops. They've recently redone much of the trail and it is under 4 miles round trip. Sounded like a good option to me.  I borrowed a baby backpack carrier from a co-worker and we were off, all five of us on our first hike together. This picture below is quite possibly one of my favorites EVER! It was moments after we put Luke in the carrier - I'm sure he was a little confused about the whole thing. You can see the distress in his face - he was crying, but the funny part is his hands. He is signing the word "Help!" (or his version of it) apparently begging us...

How lucky am I? I got to go out on a date with this handsome fella last weekend :) Sam had a campout at a friend's house, so Richie made the suggestion for Charlie and I to have a date night. I believe he even threw out options like putt putt and a movie. Not my Charlie though… He came into the computer room with the biggest smile on his face the evening before and started asking about what we should do.  "Mom can we go downtown and have dinner?" (ummm.. YEAH!)   "I love to go down there at night…" "And then maybe we can walk around for a while… I don't even need to get any toys…" me: "Maybe you can  get a toy. Maybe we can got to Mast General and look at some toys!" "Okay! I love that store. Mommy, I wish I could buy you some pretty new shoes for our date." me: "That would be so sweet, Charlie. How about I just wear some pretty shoes that I have. Do you want me to wear a dress?" "Yeah. Let...

Evenings in the Hatcher household are stressful. By the time both Richie and I are home from work, it is after 6 o'clock. Then dinner has to be orchestrated. Dinner plus a toddler is basically like running a marathon. Every night, we run a marathon. The whole process of pulling it all together is a major accomplishment. Then we have to survive the actual eating process with wee little one trying to climb out of his high chair, throwing his sippie cup on the floor, and randomly spitting out his food. Don't even get me started on the clean up process. Anyway, I basically brace myself each night when I walk in the door and prepare myself for an enormous shit show to unfold for a good 2-3 hours until we finally get the little people down to bed. But occasionally.. very rarely… something special pops up, and the evening turns into something different. This happened unexpectedly recently when we decided Charlie needed new shoes for camp… like now. So, just he and I left the hou...