Happy Birthday Charlotte!

1 day old

1 year old

2 years old



french braids in a 2 year old - so cute! that brown stuff on her mouth is chocolate chips, which is how I got her to stay still to braid her hair.

Yes she's still in a crib and will be until she's 6. Maybe not that long but she loves her crib and so do we (no getting out!). She's in it for the long haul :)



modeling her birthday dress (this was more like a present for me than for her)

Charlotte's birthday ended up being spread throughout the week due to lack of planning on my part but it ended up being really fun to have a few different ways to celebrate.

On Monday we took Charlotte swimming with some of her cousins and she loved it!

On the day of her real birthday I had nothing planned (we had just got back from being out of town), and somewhat last minute decided to take her to Chuck E Cheese for dinner. Steve and Janae and their kids were able to join us and it ended up being really fun. On the way home Dave and I both realized that we didn't even have a present for Charlotte yet. Good thing she doesn't know the difference. There aren't many more years left that I can make that mistake.

For a little belated celebration on Sunday we got together with all the family for cake and presents. We had a Mickey & Minnie Mouse theme and Charlotte wore a really adorable minnie mouse dress she inherited from Aunt Alison

My only regret is that I didn't get a group picture on Sunday to show how many family members were there to celebrate with us and Charlotte. Charlotte loved running around with her cousins (and Alison) more than playing with her new presents. I feel so grateful for the extended family that Charlotte is a part of on both sides and realize that she is one lucky girl to be surrounded by so many family members.

Charlotte you are happy, funny, silly, sassy, fun, full of life, and you bring me so much joy - Happy birthday!

orlando

Disclaimer. We kept forgetting to charge our camera battery at the beginning of each day which is why we only have a small sampling of the fun times. Hard lesson learned.


This trip to Orlando goes down in my books as one of the top 5 vacations I've ever been on. No exaggeration. We had beautiful weather and it was so relaxing, laid back, fun, and literally turned out exactly as I had hoped.

Mark and Jessica's place was the perfect spot for a family vacation. Charlotte had her pick between the huge playroom, craft supplies, trampoline in the backyard, bikes, the park around the corner, and most importantly her cousins Sam and Suzie. Charlotte wasn't the nicest girl to Suzie in the summer (we'll leave it at that) so it was a relief to see how much Charlotte loved Suzie this time around. And thank you Sam and Suzie for being so nice and playful with Charlotte.

Highlights of the trip

Bike riding - I couldn't get enough. It was such a freeing feeling to walk outside and 1 minute later be riding my bike with Charlotte and Suzie in tow. Charlotte asked to go for a bike ride anytime she saw the trailer and I was happy to do it. We did some bike riding with Sam and Dave also, but Sam really liked to pull Dave away and go off on their own. Dave said that anytime they rode by themselves Sam would say over and over again "this is so fun. I really like this. I'm having a really good time. Isn't this fun uncle David?"

Frozen Yogurt - It seems like I talk about frozen yogurt anytime I go on vacation. Find me a self serve frozen yogurt stop and I'll be there every day. Orlando was no different. The best part? Jessica shares my obsession with it.

Playground - It was so nice to leave winter for a while and enjoy summer activities. What a treat!

Wii - Sam borrowed a wii from his friend. I enjoyed playing Mario brothers more than I thought. In fact, I tried to rent it when I got home.

Youtube videos - hilarious

Singing in church - I've wanted to do a vocal/violin duet with Jessica for a while and we finally got to while we were there. Loved it!

5th Anniversary - Dave and I went to the Orlando Magic game which did not disappoint.

Disney World - I don't even know if I can capture the joy. Who knew I cared so much about Disney World? I had never been, but wanted to take Charlotte since we had been talking about Mickey and Minnie for a month before we left. So we went, and I felt the magic. Charlotte met Mickey and Minnie and was so excited. It was one of my favorite mom moments ever to watch her that happy. I may have even teared up a bit. It was a perfect day.

Thanks Jessica and Mark for letting us come!! We definitely will be coming again if you'll have us!