I have not written in a while mostly because I have just been running at full speed and haven't had time to sit and complete a thought without something pulling my attention away. Brandon, Charlotte, and I flew to North Carolina for my friend Hillary's wedding at the beginning of March, which was a blast but a quick trip. Brandon is in the midst of his busiest semester yet, but the end is in sight! He graduates May 8th! Praise the Lord!! He has been pulling 13+ hour days between work, school, and us, so needless to say he and I tend to catch up while washing dishes or folding laundry or in the five minutes before we both fall into bed exhausted. We are trying to enjoy this season though because it is busy but it is good. Jackson tells me everyday, "Daddy no work on Sunday," so at least that is one thing that is a definite for him! :) And the big event as of late...This past Sunday, our sweet little Charlotte turned one!! I can hardly believe it. But at the same time, I am soaking up this age because it is wonderful. We had a party on Saturday with family and friends that was very fun, especially considering the random cold front that blew in on Friday night after a week of gorgeous spring weather. Oh well, her actual birthday was on Sunday, and the weather was wonderful again, so we spent the whole day outside. This was our first birthday party at our new house and let me tell you, the extra space was so nice. It makes celebrating and having people over so fun.
A few thoughts on Charlotte as she turns one:
Our little girl is just as sweet as they come. I know I am her mom, but seriously, she is just a sweetheart. She is quick to laugh and as expressive as you can get, particularly with her eyebrows! She still is the spitting image of her daddy, but there is a little bit of me creeping up in her features as well. She is easy going and yet opinionated when she really wants something and although dealing with her brother has made her tough, she still loves all things feminine: jewelry, purses, anything that sparkles or shines. I remember thinking when I was pregnant with her that I would be a horrible mother to a girl because I have never been big on shopping, makeup, jewelry, etc. But not only do I adore miss Charlotte, I also adore indulging her love for everything girly. Alas, I can change after all. :) Charlotte loves to explore and climb, is quite independent, and very affectionate. Oh and she definitely has a great sense of humor already. I have a feeling between her and Jackson there is going to be a lot of laughter and adventure in our household. She is crawling and does this split leg maneuver as well which I think may be her intermediate movement on the way to walking, but so far there is a lot of standing but no independent steps. I am not in a hurry with her because she just started crawling one day and I know she will be the same with walking, when she is ready. That seems like her style anyway. :) Here are some pics from the weekend...
Chars and Nini
Big girl sitting at her new table
playing with Grandmommie
Jackson telling the girls something...as usual :)
Gum...sneaky boy!
Serious face...love this pic
balloons are so entertaining
our sweet neighbor Harriet came to the party
I love my baby girl!
Grandmommie reading the huge Elmo book to Chars
Aunt Brittany assisting the girls on the slide
down we go
Cake time!
Big brother blew out the candle
diving right in
I love it!!
frosting is awesome
smash it
face plant
covered in cake
I love cake!
Gary took all of our pictures :)
That is what happened to the wax on the bottom of the candle
Jackson helping Char Char open presents
she loves her books
Hey!
group shot. Cooper is out for the count. :)
Good morning Camryn
Good morning Charlotte!
Sweet Jackson
Butterfly birthday
chillin' and waiting for the party to start
the birthday cake
the girls love each other
hey world! It is my birthday!
Daddy and the birthday girl
big smiles
Jackson and Charlotte on the porch
Chars checking out her birthday bouquet
pretty birthday smile
So, what now? Well, Jackson is potty training for one...my least favorite part of parenting by the way. But we will get through it, one day at a time. I have been painting lately and in general trying to make things a little more homey around here (in all my spare time that is, ha). We have several dinners to go to in the next month and will be in Austin for Easter for my nephew's baptism. And that takes us into April!
