August 11, 2013 - admin 2 Comments

O.N.E

I haven’t even begun to process the photos from her 11 month shots, 12 month shots, and birthday parties. Those will come in later posts.

I don’t even know where to begin with this post, so I guess I’ll begin at the beginning. Just a warning, you are about to scroll through a billion photos… I had a really hard time choosing which ones to revisit with you all. And if you are dying to see her monthly posts again I’ve linked them up throughout the post {just click on the month – i.e.: ‘Eight’ to see her 8 month post}.

20 week check-up. It’s a girl!

You can read more about Charlie Grace’s arrival HERE and about our second visit to the hospital HERE.

Goal for today: Have a baby!

About an hour before she was born.

The nurses washed her hair 3 times and called it a ‘hot mess’ {just like her mamas}

Proud daddy. {my OB took this one, haha, and I’m so glad she did!}

I am so thankful I brought that pink pillow with me. If you know me, then you know I need color in my life!

Charlotte’s newborn photos with Sarah Halstead Photography and the quilt my mom made.

Throwin’ gang signs in her sleep.

Crazy hair.

One.

Snuggles after bath time.

Two.

Her first cloth diaper day!

Tummy time.

“I’m with the band” onesie.

Three.

Big feet.

Four.

020-IMG_2812-001

Five.

First time in the snow.

First time sitting up on her own {boppy added for ‘just in case’ support}

Sharing their love for music.

First time eating solids.

Six.

Six month photos with Kelly from Kreative Snaps Photography.

This is the ‘roll-polly-est’ she has ever been. So glad I have this shot of her briefly chunky legs!

Seven.

First time in the swing.

First time riding in the big girl seat in the cart.

Eight.

Disgruntled about something.

Nine.

Ten.

Eleven.

{no 11 month post yet, hopefully coming soon!}

Twelve.

August 6, 2013 - admin

Anyone have any extra hours in their day that I can borrow?

Our life is busy. A good kind of busy, I think, but ‘good busy’ still leaves you feeling like there are not enough hours in the day nor enough days in the week.

There’s just enough time left before bed, though, to post a few updates on our life right now:

– We are probably not putting our house on the market this summer. We have decided to wait and save some more. Big sigh for me, continuing to try and be content with where we are for now; though that doesn’t make my yearning for a yard and more windows go away.

– Charlotte continues to be daringly brave {and yet somehow super clingy to me at the same time, probably due to teething}. Here is a video of her bath time adventure tonight: peek-a-boo, puts her face in the water, then finds out that she has a belly button. I promise she is not bathing in a dirty tub… it’s stained! Cross my heart!

– We {meaning Chris, really} are hosting an intense study on Fridays in our home on serving and the importance of community. It is based around the book Barefoot Church by Brandon Hatmaker. I am trying hard not to fall behind on my homework for the study, but definitely being challenged!

– I am preparing for Charlotte’s family birthday party this Saturday. My mother and father-in-law are hosting it at their house and I am so thankful for their hospitality and love for Charlotte.

On the to-do list for tomorrow: Charlotte’s 11 month photos, HA!

July 18, 2013 - admin 2 Comments

And so it begins.

Charlie Grace took her first steps this afternoon. The miracle: Chris and I were both there to watch it!

Disclaimer: shaky video, trying to wrangle a cell phone and a baby results in video of the carpet, “no biting please” thrown in there, and loud barking dog at the end. I don’t know how to edit a video yet, so we’ll just have to suffer through to enjoy the adorableness.

Other than breaking the “World’s cutest toddling baby” award we have been planning our girl’s first birthday party, finalizing our foster parenting paperwork, and I have been picking up a few extra days of patients for some spending money {we have an Ikea trip planned for next week!!!}. I will post her 11 month update in a few days.

July 9, 2013 - admin

Independence Day

We had a wonderful week/weekend celebrating our country’s independence and my sister’s birthday. There are so many photos I love, it was hard to pare them down… just a warning – this post is long!

We kicked Thursday off with a big pool and ‘Big Family’ {‘Big Family’ is our awesome group of family members who aren’t quite blood relation but may as well be}.

Charlotte preferred to watch and enjoy a snack poolside with aunt Sheila before getting in.

The nephews enjoyed cooling off in the pool.

Charlotte eventually made her way to he water but wasn’t too thrilled.

Cousin giving her an encouraging word.

july 17

july 36

She eventually enjoyed a few cruises around the pool…

but definitely preferred to hang out on dry land.

The celebration continued on to Chick’s beach later in the evening to prepare for the fireworks with some family friends. Cathy is the amazing woman who gave my mom a kidney and we love her and her family.

Charlotte took a while to warm up to the sand and waves. Other than the brief birthday bash at the beach for me in May {in which she barely touched the sand} Charlotte has never been to the beach.