Charlie's First Birthday & A Nod to Jane Austen

We have been very remiss in keeping up with our blog—our faithful readers must have been wondering where in the world are Larry & Sue? After our return to the U.S. on December 22nd, we spent a wonderful Christmas Holiday with Sue’s family in Maryland. We then drove to North Georgia, stopping along the way to visit with friends, finishing up with another wonderful visit with Larry’s family.

But, as you might imagine, we were most anxious to get to Denver to see our grandson, Charlie—and his Mom and Dad, of course. We arrived in Denver on January 12^th and have been really busy getting settled and most importantly getting re-acquainted with Charlie, which has been grand and so much fun.

Today is Charlie’s first birthday—although we celebrated the event this past Saturday with a big “Muppet Playroom” blast. It is hard to believe, but just a year ago we were impatiently awaiting news of his arrival—now we have a charming, almost walking little guy.

Charlie in his element at the Toddler Park

 Sue and I are besotted with him—and whenever we are out with him, people often feed our enchantment by telling us what a cute baby he is. At one, he wants to hold your hand and walk, but when that gets to be too tiring he will fall to his hands and knees and tool across the floor at warp speed to his desired destination. 

Ride 'Em Cowboy!

He is bright and happy—we love his belly laughs. There is a toddler playground very near our apartment, and on sunny days we enjoy taking him there. He is seemingly fearless and loves going down the slide, often face first, laughing hysterically and anxious to crawl back up and start all over again. 

Charlie, deliriously happy at the end of the slide.

Bryn and Grant planned his birthday celebration for several weeks, picking the music playlist, selecting a Muppet movie to show during the party, and making homemade musical instruments.  The guest list included 10 kids, most under the age of two, and about 30 adults, many of whom live in their neighborhood. The menu included homemade cupcakes topped off by Miss Piggy and Kermit rings.

Charlie, listening to the Playlist for the Birthday Party.

Charlie’s paternal grandparents, Shirley and Greg, their cuz, Debbie, and Charlie’s Aunt Erin flew in to join the festivities. Other guests included Grant’s extended family many of whom live here in Denver and are an important part of Charlie’s life.

Aunt Erin and other friends showing off the Cupcakes

The party was a huge success, with proud parents, adorable children, fun family, lots of balloons, good eats and drinks…and we’re not sure Charlie even knew it was all for him.  He crawled around with the rest of the kids and got lots of hugs and kisses.

Charlie's girlfriend, Taylor D, waits for him to ask her to dance.

On Sunday, the entire extended family was able to celebrate Charlie’s christening.  Charlie thought it was a lot fun—but the pastor just didn’t let him play in the water long enough. Afterwards we all (except Debbie and Erin who had to catch planes), had a celebratory brunch.  The First Birthday Weekend was fantastic !

Charlie telling the Priest how to conduct the baptism.

Oh, one small piece of trivia—today, Charlie’s first birthday, is the 200^th anniversary of the publication of Larry’s favorite book and what he considers the best novel ever written, Pride and Prejudice. Thank you Jane Austen for making our lives so much richer and entertaining.

Oh, one small piece of trivia—today, Charlie’s first birthday, is the 200^th anniversary of the publication of Larry’s favorite book and what he considers the best novel ever written, Pride and Prejudice. Thank you Jane Austen for making our lives so much richer and entertaining.