Charlotte's Web

Toes!

2010-12-28T20:40:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve 2010

2010-12-24T23:36:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve celebrations began with dinner and gifts with Grandma Juju and Papa Brad. Homemade Manhatten clam chowder, salad, and bread... yum! Then gifts and off to the candlelight service at church. We always finish the night at our house for cookies and treats. Now that Charlotte is getting a little older we are trying to bring in other fun traditions like setting out cookies for Santa, putting out the Stockings, read "The Night Before Christmas"... well... maybe next year!

It's Almost Here Charlotte!

2010-12-24T08:36:00.000-08:00

Almost Christmas!

Getting Ready for Christmas

2010-12-23T17:02:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is such a busy time at work, and with family gatherings that often by the time Christmas arrives I am super sick and worn out. This year, I was really trying to avoid being sick at Christmas. Unfortunately, the most wretched strain of stomach flu hit the school about the second week of December... Charlotte was the first in our family to get it and threw up all over our bed at 3am on the 14th. Then as I was mid set-up for the 2nd out of 3 waves of guests at the school Christmas Program (over 1000 people attended that night)I started throwing up in the church kitchen- fun! A few days later, as hard as he fought it... daddy succumbed to the flu as well- with baby Mallorie the same day! YUCK! What a way to launch into our Christmas break! Eventually we all recovered and Charlotte and I got to have a baking day right before Christmas!

The Light Zoo

2010-12-22T22:14:00.000-08:00

As many times as we told Charlotte that it is called Zoo lights... she still refers to it as "The Light Zoo". It was quite a chilly night, so we breezed through the zoo, enjoying the lights and music and then went for a treat. Charlotte requested eggnog icecream!

Cute Moments...

2010-12-20T20:48:00.000-08:00

Christmas in Vancouver 2010

2010-12-20T17:35:00.000-08:00

We traveled down to Vancouver on Saturday the 18th of December to see the both the Kohler and Donahue families. On Saturday we visited Grandpa Kohler and Nana's house with almost the whole Kohler family in attendance. This was the first Christmas spent with Chad, Leslee, Maiya and Madelyn. Charlotte had so much fun playing all day and night with her cousins. On Sunday we had brunch at Grandma Kohler's house with the Donahue side of the family. This was the first time that Mallorie met her Great Grandpa and Grandma Donahue. The weekend was very busy, but we were fortunate to get to see so much family. Thank you to everyone who traveled up (or down) to Vancouver to see us.

Go Tell it to Tacoma!

2010-12-16T19:08:00.000-08:00

Charlotte had a great time and did a great job singing at her Preschol Christmas Program! Songs included... "Come on Ring THose Bells", "Go Tell it on the Mountains" (with a Tacoma twist), "J-E-S-U-S", and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". Great job Charlotte!

First Taste

2010-12-06T18:32:00.000-08:00

Mallorie got to try her first rice cereal! She actually seemed to like it at first... only at first... then she got mad! Oh well... it will grow on you baby girl!

Playing with my girls

2010-12-04T21:34:00.000-08:00

Dinner with the Sheltons

2010-11-29T18:21:00.000-08:00

We got to have dinner at the Sheltons during Thanksgiving break. Let me tell you... Wayne makes an amazing turkey bagel sandwich! YUM! The best part of the night was seeing the kids together. Olivia and Mallorie are just too cute playing on the floor!

Santa!

2010-11-28T20:45:00.000-08:00

Mallorie was amazing at her first Santa visit and I think this was the first time Charlotte actually enjoyed meeting Santa! She told him she wants, "toys and treats" for Christmas. Santa replied, "Well that shouldn't be a problem!"

A White Thanksgiving?

2010-11-27T15:54:00.000-08:00

Just days before Thanksgiving it snowed! It really dumped snow- not like past November snow flurries that are usually too wet to stick- this was beautiful! There was even enough for Charlotte to make her first snowman. She called it a snow Charlotte, because it was just her size. Thanksgiving this year was spent with Grandma Juju, Papa Brad, Uncle Sean, and Caitlin!

Great Wolf Lodge

2010-11-16T14:31:00.000-08:00

For Matt's 29th birthday, we decided to take a little trip to the Great Wolf Lodge!Matt and I had both taken the week off of work, but decided to stay around home to save money. Our 1 night stay at the Great Wolf Lodge turned out to be a great idea, and an easy and relaxing way to get away during our stay-cation! Mallorie was not particulalry fond of the water park- I think she didn't like the noise. Charlotte loved it! She didn't love the wind storm that just happen to tear through western washington that night though- which knocked out power even at the hotel. Crazy experience! The lights went out at about 9pm, and I think Charlotte thought Matt and I were doing it on purpose to get her to go to sleep- she was really mad! The power didn't come back on until I think about 4am. Overall we had a GREAT time! Aaah-ooooooooh!

Videos from Great Wolf Lodge

2010-11-16T13:03:00.000-08:00

Really Daddy?

2010-11-14T21:16:00.000-08:00

Turkey Brine

2010-11-14T17:19:00.000-08:00

Charlotte loves to help cook, and making the turkey brine together has been a fun little job!

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T22:02:00.000-07:00

Just about the cutest Dorothy you've ever seen!

Sweet Girls

2010-10-26T16:29:00.000-07:00

My sweet girls!

Feeding Baby

2010-10-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-10-21T16:48:00.000-07:00

2 Months old

2010-10-03T16:32:00.000-07:00

At her 2 month check up she weighed 9lbs 8oz and was 21 and a half inches long.

Meeting Family in Eugene

2010-10-02T15:49:00.000-07:00

Mallorie and 2nd cousin Remington (Bridget and Ryan's newest edition). Charlotte had lots of fun at Penny and Kimo's property. They rode bikes, went on a tractor ride in search of dinosaurs, and fed the farm animals!

I love my Ducks

2010-10-02T15:27:00.000-07:00

Charlotte loves her ducks! This year, she got to go to her very first duck game at Autzen Stadium. She had a great time (and so did daddy)!

Seaside Family Vacation

2010-10-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

The Kohler family decided to take a trip to the beach in late September (what were we thinking??? Oregon coast late September). Luckily we had the best weather you could ever ask for. Since school was in session, and not a typical vacation time of year, we had the beach and town all to ourselves. We could not have asked for anything more!

Puyallup Fair 2010

2010-09-25T11:17:00.000-07:00

The Kohler family went to the Puyallup Fair on the best (and busiest) day. We brought Grandpa Coury, and met our friends Heather and Mia Mae. We went on rides, ate fair food, and had a great time.

Meeting the Cousins

2010-09-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

Charlotte and Mallorie were able to meet their new baby cousin Olivia Rae (and her brother Christian) over Labor Day weekend at Aunt Kris and Uncle Brett's home on Fox Island. The picture of Mallorie and Olivia sleeping reminds us of a picture of Nadine and Erin when they were that age.

1 Month Old

2010-09-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

The time just flies by with a newborn! Hard to even believe that Mallorie is already a month old. At her 1 month check-up she half smiled at the doctor and is clearly interacting, which the dr. said was pretty early! She grew 2 inches since her 2 week checkup and over a pound in weight. She is now 21inches, 7lbs and 12oz. Due to a little baby reflux and gassy tummy, we got some meds from the doc to help us ALL sleep better!

First Day of School 2010

2010-09-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

Well, fall is officially here again, and all the kiddos are heading back to school! Charlotte is ready to head back for her 2nd year of preschool! She spent most of the summer, begging to go play with kids... any kids! When we asked how her day was at preschool her response was, " I got to play with KIDS!" Charlotte really does love school- she loves to play with the kids- loves to paint do crafts- loves the gym time- and she loves her teachers! She is going to have a great year!

Who Wants to Snuggle?

2010-08-30T22:16:00.000-07:00

Who wants to snuggle with momma?! Gotta say... even though I am deliriously tired in this pic... I am loving it!

Welcome Olivia Shelton!

2010-08-24T22:53:00.000-07:00

A new little cousin entered the world- only 3 weeks after Mallorie! Welcome Olivia Rae and congrats to the Shelton family!

2 Weeks

2010-08-17T12:25:00.000-07:00

2 weeks old today! Doing great! Gained 7 ounces last week! Making her way into some newborn size clothing this week.

Bedtime Buddy

2010-08-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

I feel very lucky that Charlotte has taken such a liking to her baby sister! She wants to help her when she cries, help with diaper changes (setting the mat out on the floor and getting the clean diaper out), and has even asked now a few times for baby sister to, "go, ni-nite and snuggle in Charlotte's bed". So cute! The other night, I managed to get both girls alseep by reading books and singing a few songs- then I snuck Mallorie out. At about 2am that night, Charlotte came charging into our room yelling, "OH NO! Baby sister is ALL GONE!"

Not Again

2010-08-11T10:42:00.001-07:00

Last night as I tried to get Charlotte to go to bed, she climbed up to the window, opened the curtain, and said, "...but no stars, and where is the moon?" I somehow convinced her it was time to go to sleep anyway. This morning from her room as she woke up, I hear her say, "Oh no! Not again! Stars and moon, come back! I wanna see you!"

Charlotte's Big Week

2010-08-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

*Monday the 2nd her good friend Mia Mae "Mouse" came over and had a sleep over. *Tuesday the 3rd Charlotte became a BIG SISTER!!!! *Tuesday and Wednesday night Charlotte stayed with Grandma JuJu and Papa Brad. *Thursday Charlotte came home with Mallorie, Momma, and Dad. * Saturday and Sunday Charlotte went to Vancouver to hang with Papa and Nana Kohler. She got to go to the Clark County Fair, and her cousin Maiya's 5th birthday party. What a fun and busy weekend! Charlotte had soooo much fun with everyone. Thank you to all who helped make Charlotte become a big sister very special.

Mallorie's 1st Bath

2010-08-09T19:49:00.000-07:00

Which Baby is Which?????

2010-08-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

Can you guess which baby profile belongs to which baby???

Mallorie Arrives!!!

2010-08-09T19:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome Mallorie

2010-08-03T17:56:00.000-07:00

Mallorie Marie Kohler, 6 lbs. 7 oz., 19 in. born August 3rd 2010 at 11:34 am.

Baby sister is coming soon!

2010-07-30T14:42:00.000-07:00

Only 3 ½ days left until our new little one arrives. I can hardly believe that it is already here, but yet like most pregnant women… SO READY! Charlotte seems genuinely excited and I cannot wait for her to meet her baby sister! It is fun that she has been so interested and excited. She talks about her baby sister a lot- and just refers to “sisters” in general a lot right now. She was playing with two toy animals last week and I asked if they were friends. Her response was, “Yeah! They are sisters!” She also tells everyone... "Baby sister is coming soon!" Love it! I have a feeling the weekend ahead of us will feel long. I was notified yesterday, after having a planned c-section date for August 3rd for over 5 months now- that they want to move the date of the delivery. Talk about some major anxiety for me. Yes, I realize that most babies come on their own time-table, but when you have been planning for months around a specific day, it is a bit upsetting 4 days out to hear otherwise. Our choice came down to bump the c-section out or be surprised by the doctor who walks into the room. The biggest dilemma was that both Matt and Juju (my mom) have already taken time off work around Tuesday, August 3rd. Really bummed about this situation, but I have to trust that things will work out ok, and it is all for a good reason!

The Belly

2010-07-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

38 weeks: 37 weeks:

Summer Time Fun

2010-07-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

At the wading pool: At the Beach: All tuckered out from all this lovely sun!

Double Bump Baby Shower

2010-07-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

Thank you Mom (Juju), Auntie Carolyn, Donna (Wayne's mom), Auntie Kristin, and Amanda for throwing us a wonderful shower! It was fun to celebrate the coming of these two little girls! Baby Shelton due August 23rd and our little girl arriving August 3rd. Thank you to all of our friends and family to joinging in our celebration and for all the lovely gifts!

Shower Pics

2010-07-12T09:36:00.000-07:00

Courys and the Zoo

2010-07-10T09:45:00.000-07:00

Charlotte and I enjoyed a beautiful summer day at the Zoo with the Coury cousins Ava & Noah! Thanks Sarah for your help all day!

Project Day

2010-07-01T09:52:00.000-07:00

So here is a new hole in what used to be our dining room. We re-arranged, made this our living room, and decided to add an exterior day to access our side yard. This is the side of the house we hang out in. Charlotte can spend hours playing in our little yard. SO, although Matt and I have learned a lot about construction projects... we were smart enough to hire out for this project. Cutting a hole in the side of a 107 year old house... yeah... for the professionals! So, Matt went to work that day and I was here for the contruction team. Turns out Matt also ordered rock to be delivered that day (for more yard projects), and by accident Tacoma Power stopped by. At first I thought we were in trouble- but it turned out they were at the wrong place. In the mean time... thinking Charlotte was being a good girl playing in her room... I found out that she found some shimmery liquid eyeshadow... How many times does she need to cover herself in makeup before I hide it ALL!

Baby Sister TV Show

2010-06-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

Charlotte joined me this morning for one last ultra sound, or as Charlotte calls it, "the baby sister tv show". She is looking great! She already weighs about the same that Charlotte did when she was born! We have 5 weeks from yesterday until her scheduled delivery date, so she should be a pretty normal sized baby! Amazing! We can't wait to meet her!

Daffodil Art

2010-06-28T14:39:00.000-07:00

Charlotte surprised me last week by bringing me this drawing. She had been sitting in the copy room of my office and the paper daffodil below was taped to the bulletin board near the desk where she sat coloring. I think this is the very first time, I have seen her "art" actually look like something! I was amazed! Pretty good, right?!

Pretty Little Girl!

2010-06-25T12:20:00.000-07:00

Double Baby Bumps

2010-06-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

We are getting closer! Only 40 days left until baby sister gets here!

Hey Girl! It's Summer!

2010-06-14T16:01:00.000-07:00

This is how we found Charlotte yesterday heading outside to play... We finally have been blessed with some actual summer weather- but living in Western Washingtn it is easy to become confused about the seasons and the weather!

Daddy & the Zoo

2010-06-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

Recently I have been having some significant hip area pain due to my growing belly. The physical therapist recommended stretches, a support belt, and basically taking it easy. So Daddy has been taking Charlotte for little trips to the zoo with our zoo pass. Although I feel a little left out sometimes... it is nice to know that they are getting some Daddy-Daughter bonding time!

5 Years

2010-05-14T22:35:00.000-07:00

When you get married, you look ahead and think that your 5 year anniversary is so far away, but yet at the time, you can hardly imagine all the things that you will share over those quick 5 years! We have already shared in many ups and downs- funfilled and lovely vacations- wordly travel- purchasing our first home- bringing home our first baby and another on the way...! We thought we would for sure spend our "big" 5 year wedding anniversary back in Puerto Vallarta where we honeymooned- instead we went to dinner on the Ruston waterfront and watched a movie in bed! We didn't have any gifts to exchange (being that we are on a tight budget with baby on the way), but as we sat at dinner, we looked up the 5th wedding anniversary gift- wood. Hmmmm... well, we actually came up with something to buy together to celebrate our 5th year anniversary that is made of wood- and we really will use it! We drove to Lowes to look for it, but realized we could not fit it in our car. We are still waiting for a good day to borrow a truck and go pick it up.

Sunshiny Mothers Day

2010-05-09T19:10:00.000-07:00

It was a sunshiny perfect mother's day! It started with thick cinnamon french toast with strawberries and cream in bed! Then we took a little trip to Home Depot for some yard supplies and a stop at Metropolitan market for some delicious food for the day and two new little Lemon Spruce trees for our yard. We spent the rest of the day eating good food, BBQing, enjoying the sun, and loving our time together! Thank you family for a lovely and relaxing day. I didn't want it to end!

Tinker Bell B-Day Party

2010-04-24T17:10:00.000-07:00

With all the craziness of work recently and well just being tired... Charlotte's birthday party was a last minute plan! Surprisingly, we still had pletny of friends and family who were able to make it for Charlotte's Tinker Bell Birthday Party! Charlotte loved all the toys, clothes (especially the dress up clothing), but mostly she just loved having everyone here. She asked for days where everyone went after the party and when would they come back! Thank you everyone for making this a special day for our Lil Miss Charlotte!

Charlotte turns 3!

2010-04-21T14:31:00.000-07:00

Our big girl turned 3 years old! Pretty hard to believe! I really need to video tape her more because describing her with words hardly does her justice. She is loud, bouncy, dramatic, comedic, musical, beautiful, talkative, and giggly! Her speech has improved drastically over the past few months, but when she gets excited or is playing pretend, she reverts right back to light speed jabbering! She loves to sing songs like “Twinkle, Twinkle”, “ABC’s”, “I know You” (from Sleeping Beauty), “R-A-I-N-Y”, and “Jesus Loves Me”. She also makes up songs all the time- in fact a lot of her chattering is very sing-songy in nature! Some of her most common phrase are: “Good Job! You Did It!” “Oh, that’s so cute!” or “Oh, that’s so bunny (funny)!” She loves other kids, and seems to be excited about getting a baby sister. She has an amazing imagination; she loves to pretend she is a puppy. This pretend game consists of lots of barking, crawling around on her hands and knees and licking you for kisses. We have entered into the princess and tinkerbell phase- it is hard to keep her in her regular clothing, she would prefer to dress up as a fairy or a princess. Charlotte is an amazing little girl! I felt blessed the day she was born and I feel blessed every day to have her in our lives. Although at times I want to freeze time, I also cannot wait to see what she surprises us with this year! We love you Little Miss Charlotte! Love, Momma & Daddy

Hangin' with Charlotte

2010-04-19T10:20:00.000-07:00

Easter 2010

2010-04-18T10:01:00.000-07:00

Charlotte Cheese

2010-04-07T17:56:00.000-07:00

The Almost Sleepover

2010-04-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back we had cousin Christian over to play, and the plan was to have him spend the night. He didn't quite make it as an over night adventure, but the kids had fun together playing and watching the movie "Cars" and eating popcorn! Hard to believe that both of these kiddos are almost 3 years old and both getting new baby sisters in August!

Cousin Bumps

2010-03-31T09:52:00.000-07:00

So Charlotte and Christian are only a few months apart in age and here we are again even closer in our pregnancies! What are the chances that we would both be due in August? And guess what? We are both having girls! Yeah!

Sister Princess Sleeping Duty!

2010-03-31T09:37:00.000-07:00

For a number of reasons, Matt and I just had it in our heads that we were having a boy. None of them really good reasons....my pregnancy symptoms were SO different than with Charlotte, we both grew up in a "1 girl- 1 boy" family, and we already had a girl so naturally next we would have a boy. We decided to take Charlotte with us to the ultrasound, so all day we kept asking her if she thought it was a boy or a girl... a brother or a sister. She stayed firm all day,"SISTER!" Matt and I would kind of snicker at each other every time this happened... like she was wrong and we already knew it. ~ The ultrasound ended up being really long. Our little baby would wiggle, but wouldn't give us a clear view! Finally, 40 minutes or so into the ultrasound the technician was positive- "It's a Girl!". Charlotte by this point was no longer interested and was practically rolling on the floor. I tried to get her excited again by saying, "Charlotte! Are you excited to have a sister?" Her response, "NO". I like to believe that this is simply because she was bored of being in that dark room, and because, well.. she already knew it was gonna be a girl! Later that weekend we began asking Charlotte what she wanted to name the baby, "Ummm... uh.... ummm... how bout Princess Sleeping Duty?" That was one of her lovely ideas. But won't it be fun fr them?! Two little girls! She will have a little princess friend to play with! A girlfriend for life! I am so excited now for my two little girls!

It's a Girl!

2010-03-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

The Bump

2010-03-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

First Kick- First Fight

2010-03-08T16:51:00.000-08:00

The pregnancy is now 18 weeks along. As I lay on the couch over the weekend, Charlotte climbed on top of my little belly to cuddle. I could feel her squishing me and the belly- and then it happened! The first little kick! And then another- and then I realized- hey this baby is kicking Charlotte! I can hear it already... "Hey, you're squishing me! Move over!" Heehee!

Charlotte's Saturday

2010-03-06T15:51:00.000-08:00

First she got herself dressed. Then she did her own makeup. Mommy made her take a bath. Didn't make it to lunch!

Whoa Baby 2010

2010-02-22T17:40:00.000-08:00

This little baby is due August 3rd, 2010! It has been a rough pregnancy so far, but I feel we are turning a corner, and hopefully will have smooth sailing here on out.

Touchdown

2010-01-24T16:21:00.000-08:00

While watching the NFC Championship game, Brett Favre threw a touchdown pass to Sidney Rice. After the touchdown Charlotte began singing the University of Oregon Fight Song (da-da-daaaaa-da-daaaaa-daaaaa-da-daaaaa). Guess we know she has been actually watching the duck games with daddy this year, and everytime the ducks score daddy sings the fight song with her. So, now anytime ANYBODY scores a touchdown it appears that Charlotte thinks that is an appropriate time to sing the fight song. GO DUCKS!!!!! Posted by Matt

Brothers

2010-01-12T20:00:00.001-08:00

We are really kicking off 2010 with a Bang! Last Saturday, Matt's Dad drove to Tacoma for a visit that turned out to be much more than we ever expected. When Matt's sister arrived, we were shocked by Guy's announcement. Matt and Lindsay have a half brother! Whoa! Right?! Chad is 33, lives outside of Portland, and recently made contact with Matt's dad. Needless to say, we sat a little shocked for a few moments, but were soon packing our bags to drive to Vancouver for the remainder of the weekend so that we could meet Chad and his family! We had a great time! And look! They really look like brothers to me! He has a lovely family too; wife Leslee, 4 year old Maiya, and 7 month old Madelyn. And guess what... he is a DUCK! Season tickets to Autzen Stadium and all!

2010 and beyond...

2010-01-01T00:09:00.000-08:00

It is weird to think that the last time we entered a new decade I was only 18! Whoa. And you can’t help but do the math… right?... I will be 38 the next time we close a decade… and Charlotte will be beginning her journey as a teenager! AHHHH! Life is funny! I got a feelin’ though that 2010-2020 is gonna be my favorite decade yet! Happy New Year! Cheers to 2010 and beyond!

Christmas Morning 2009

2009-12-31T22:06:00.000-08:00

Mr. Mom Christmas

2009-12-28T17:20:00.000-08:00

I think I may have caught a few photos on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, but for the most part... I was sick, sick, sick! Matt took the Mr. Mom role and made sure we didn't miss Christmas. As I lay in bed, Matt cooked the entire Christmas dinner- all by himself! ... the roast, the potatoes casserole, the fruit salad, the rolls, and the broccoli! With a little guidance from his wifey he pulled it all off, and I am so thankful for his dedication to his family!

I am still feeling really sick, but I had my infusion today, and will hopefully be back on my feet- and back to the blog soon.

Christmas Card 2009

2009-12-25T17:09:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas 2009

Santa Train

2009-12-11T21:58:00.000-08:00

We recently were invited to join Mia Mae and the Fix kids on the Santa Train! The train left from North Bend and went to the town of Snoqualmie (about 2 miles). When we arrived we got to meet Santa- Charlotte was super excited until the moment it was her turn to sit on Santa's lap. It was quite the adventure, but this is one fun group to hang out with- so a good time was had by all.

Warming our Toes!

2009-12-10T17:05:00.000-08:00

When I am cold and too tired to take a nice hot bath, I often put my feet in the sink to warm up. Recently, I took the time to pull out this foot bath that I got for Christmas last year, and Charlotte was SOOOOOO excited. She pulled up this stool and jumped right in!

This week we hit record breaking cold temperatures- 16 degrees- so our toes have certainly been cold! No precipitation, so no snow, but let me tell ya... it is cold!

The Stocking

2009-12-08T20:48:00.000-08:00

Christmas Carousel

2009-12-08T20:23:00.000-08:00

We visited downtown Seattle after Thanksgiving to enjoy the window shopping, holiday cheer, and lights. Charlotte of course loved the Christmas Carousel! She wasn’t so sure at first- this was her first time on a carousel- but of course by the end, didn’t want it to end.

“Bye Bye Horse!”

Raking Leaves

2009-12-08T20:16:00.000-08:00

By Christmas time, usually we have had enough wind storms that all the leaves are long gone… but this year- although it is cold… there are still leaves left. Charlotte and Christian insisted on going outside to play at the Hoovers. We adults were so cold that we watched them from just inside the back door!

Lovin' Laundry?

2009-12-08T20:05:00.000-08:00

She is such a busy girl these days… I figured… I might as well make the most of that “I wanna do it” spirit! Charlotte loves helping with the laundry. The only problem is that once everything is folded, she immediately tried to dump it all back into the dirty laundry bin!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-27T11:02:00.000-08:00

The Holidays are here! We kicked off Thanksgiving day with the Macy's Parade! Charlotte loved it! After a while I got started cooking in the kitchen, and Charlotte would run in to tell me what was going on in the parade... "Momma!!! It's Chari BOWN (Charlie Brown)!!" ... or.. "MOMMA!! It's Mickey, It's Mickey! YEAH!" Sooo cute!

For dinner, we had a pretty quiet evening at our home with Charlotte's Auntie Lindsay, her boyfriend Andy, Uncle Sean, Grandpa Coury and six dogs... ok maybe "quiet" wasn't the right word. My dad (Grandpa Coury) brought his two dogs and 3 puppies (from a recent litter) over to play.

I was feeling quite maternal this week, which was good, because I did almost all the cooking myself! Everything turned out great... including the turkey which I brined over night!

Yeah, Thanksgiving Dinner is almost ready!

I perfected my mash potatoes last week, and they were a hit at Thanksgiving dinner! Yum!

Charlotte made the brine...

2009-11-25T13:41:00.000-08:00

Charlotte was really excited that I let her help me make the Turkey Brine this morning. I let her add all the ingredients and stir for a while before I turned the heat on! She thought she was really "Kochin" (thats what is it sounds like when she says cookin'). Sometimes she really sounds like she is speaking German or something!!!

Happy Birthday Matt

2009-11-25T13:30:00.000-08:00

We Love you! Happy Birthday!

Charlotte tried on Grandma Juju's reading glasses...

She thought that was hilarious!

Shhh...

2009-11-25T13:13:00.000-08:00

So I put Charlotte on our bed to watch a movie. I hear Charlotte cheer, "Yeah" which is my cue that it is over. I enter the room and she has removed her pants and pull-up... just has her shirt on.

Me (momma): "Charlotte, did you take your panties off?!"

Charlotte: "Noooo... Shhhhhh...."
...like if I didn't say it out loud it wouldn't be true???!

Oh Boy!

Who Done it...

2009-11-23T21:37:00.000-08:00

The Scene: I follow Charlotte into her room to find that she has torn her pillow apart and small clumps of pillow stuffing were ALL OVER her floor.

Charlotte: "Oh NO GUYS! What happened here?"

Me (Momma): "Yes, Charlotte... what did happen here?"

Charlotte: "I don't know!" With a cute little shrug and hands in the air.

Spaghetti with the Sheltons

2009-11-11T20:45:00.000-08:00

Just for fun, we met up with Erin, Wayne, and Christian tonight for dinner at the Spaghetti Factory! Thanks for calling us guys! It is always fun to hang out!

While Mommy is away...

2009-11-11T20:21:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, I ventured out and went to our church's Womens' Retreat. I really admire the speaker who is a member at our church, has crohns disease, and gets remicaid infusins from Dr. Pete just like me. She is an amazing lady and spoke about learning to go to Christ in our pain. She also talked about going to CHrist during our times of joy as well... but I was really struck by a story she told about a group of people who wanted to put God on trial. The story goes on to tell about how hard these peoples' lives were and that they want God to try to live through being distriminated against, living through tremendous pain, being tortured, etc... to realize at the end that Christ did these very things for us already! Go to Christ in your pain and find Peace that cannot be found anywhere else. While mommy was away at this retreat, daddy ventured to Seattle with Charlotte to visit uncle Sean. Then they took Charlotte to the childrens' museum and Red Robin for lunch. What a fun day!!!

A Beau-tee-ful November Day

2009-11-11T16:49:00.001-08:00

We spent November 1st at Aunt Kris & Uncle Brett's House on Fox Island for Grandpa Kelsey's birthday. It was a beautiful fall day and they had a whole bag of golf balls to hit in to the water! I am sure the guys were pleased to see the ladies get the golf bug!

Bee Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T23:12:00.000-07:00

(Mia & Charlotte)

Halloween this year was a busy day! Our evening turned out to bee a lot of fun! After chili dinner at Diana's (Lindsay's sister) we went to the Proctor area and met up at the Fix's house to join up with Mia and all the kids to do some door to door trick or treating. We quickly discovered that a block away at Mason Middle School was a fun Halloween party with games and candy! This was actually a lot of fun for Charlotte! Thanks to everyone who made our night a great Halloween! (Uncle Sean, Baby Bee, & Momma)

Charlotte got a little yellow star painted on her face and she kept saying, "Winkle winkle wittle star- its butiful!" SO CUTE!

(Lindsay & Garrett Camandona & the boys)

The gorilla was a little scarry for Charlotte, so we had to walk like 10 feet apart while his gorilla head was on!

Ducks in Seattle!

2009-10-25T16:34:00.000-07:00

Well, the Oregon Ducks played UW Huskies in Seattle this year, and so with Papa & Nana's new motorhome we tailgated for the first time at Husky stadium. This was Charlotte's and Grandma Juju's very first football game! Brad is a husky fan, but we all had a good time together (the Ducks won the game ;) ). Charlotte had a great time. She really got into the cheering- except she got a little confused whent he majority of the crowd would cheer for the huskies and we wouldn't! She also talked about Donald Duck the whole time. From where we were sitting he was just tiny, but she seemed to be able to spot him at all times! SO during the fourth quarter we went down to the Oregon section (where the band was sitting) and called the Duck mascot over to say hello. As the Duck came running over, she apparently was SHOCKED that Donald was so big, because as he got close she began screaming- like Donald was going to eat her! The crowd around us kind of laughed and ahhh'd. We did finally get her to clam down and give him a high five- then the crowd cheered for her! It was all so funny!

Another little interesting tidbit about tailgating at Husky stadium. You have to wait for the people in front of you to leave before you can leave... and after the game, the people surrounding us, pulled all their stuff back out and started making dinner.... dude it was crazy! Thanks Papa and Nana for taking us to the game, and dealing with those crazy huskies!!!!

Terry's Berry's

2009-10-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

Terry's Berry's is an organic farm in Puyallup and this was Charlotte's very first field trip! The kids got to pick apples, feed the chickens, see the goats and the ducks, pick out a pumpkin, and ride in the wagon/hay ride. Grandma Julee (Juju) came with and we had a great time!

Fall Harvest Fest with the cousins

2009-10-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

Charlotte's Concerto

2009-09-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

She has quite the imagination... and it is so entertaining for us.

Puyallup Fair 2009

2009-09-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

We were joined this year by Heather and Mia Mae! The weather was record breaking heat- once again- but we drank lots of water and had a great time! Charlotte was super excited for the rides, until she realized (once she was on it) that they move! When the little rocket ride started moving and I thought she was going to burst into tears! But, by the last two passes, she was happy and enjoying the ride! The train was her favorite! Thank you Mia Mae for accompanying Charlotte on the rides! And thanks for joining us at the fair!

Tired Girl...

2009-09-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

Being in school sure does tucker you out! And...its just not easy getting used to a new schedule!

Charlotte's First Day of Preschool

2009-09-03T16:54:00.000-07:00

At First Pres Church School we have a program for 2 year olds called The Beginners Program. Not very many other schools , I am finding, offer such a program. Charlotte loves it! She gets to explore, be with other kids, do art projects, and most of all sing songs! I was told by one of the teachers that she sings the loudest in the class! What is so weird for me... is that my baby girl is developing a world outside our home. One day, I came into the classroom to chat with a parent and Charlotte piped in part way through our conversation, "MOMMA... GOOD-BYE!" The next day, I tried to come in in again to chat , and Charlotte, shaking her pointer finger at me, promptly led me to the door, opened it, and pushed me out, saying, "Love you, GoodBye!"

Football means fall...

2009-09-01T15:38:00.000-07:00

While I get excited for fall colors, decorations, pumkins, fall cooking, and storming days that blow all the leaves off the trees... my husband gets excited for FOOTBALL! So I joined him for a preseason Seahawks game this year, when the weather was still nice! I have to say, that my favorite part was watching the drumline, Blue Thunder play before the game... oh yeah, and just having a date with my hubby!!!!

Typical Toddler Snip-its

2009-08-30T23:59:00.000-07:00

These little snip-its were taken sometime this summer...

Ducks in a row...

2009-08-30T23:58:00.000-07:00

These are a few pictures from the Portland Zoo which we visited with Grandma Koler and Aunt Lindsay.

During this trip to Vancouver, we got together with all of the Kohlers for a fun BBQ at Papa & Nana's house. Charlotte had an opportunity to play with her cousins Wyatt and Colt (2nd cousins) whom she had not yet played with (she was only 2 months old when we last saw them). They were very cute together!

Another Weekend of Weddings!

2009-08-30T23:56:00.000-07:00

On Friday, August 7th we helped celebrate in Lynden with our Friends Max & Taylor! Congrats to the newlyweds! It was a great oppotunity to catch up with friends from college that we have not seen since we left Bellingham.

Then, that Sunday, August 9th, my mom and Brad got married! Whew... it was quite the weekend! Congrats to the second happy couple of the weekend!

Bellingham Visit

2009-08-30T23:37:00.000-07:00

It has been a few years since we have walked across the WWU campus! We stopped there when we visited Bellingham this August. While in Bellingham, we also got to visit Boundary Bay Brewery and best of all... The Mauss Family!