3 Year Anniversary

Oh how life has changed from those days... this is from our honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta in May 2005. I think we look pretty much the same... but boy have we changed! Sometimes I miss that excitement and passion that surrounds being newlyweds (or newly in love). Our vacation to Hawaii this March was although great... not what our vacations used to be. Am I complaining... certainly not! I love the life we are building together! We have a beautiful daughter to raise and a home that we have (no doubt) put blood, sweat, and tears into! Sometimes the days and weeks are long and hard... and I feel like I hardly get to see or talk to my husband at all... but when we finally do find the time to cherish each other that time is priceless. This is what we set out to do... create a life together in which no one else can break our bond, our love, or our home! I love you Matt!

Family Pics

I am not sure how these pictures slipped by... these were taken right after Easter in her Easter dress from Great Grandma Kelsey. The family pics didn't really turn out this time... it is not easy taking family shots with an 11 month old baby!

Mother's Day 2008

This may not be my first mother's day, but it kind of felt that way. Maybe because CHarlotte was not due before mothers day last year and we were still in a bit of a blur when Mothers day hit last year only a few weeks old. This year I got my very first art project from Charlotte! Look at how cute this is! She made it at daycare and I held back the tears at the daycare so that I didn't look like a dummy, but I cried most of the way home. Oh boy!

In the morning on Mothers Day we enjoyed pancakes with strawberries and whip cream! Yum! This was Charlotte's first time trying strawberries and let me tell ya... she threw down the pancake to get to the strawberries! Then we headed outside to work in the yard. It is really coming along out there!

We went to Grandma Jewels (Juju) for the dinner and got to visit with the Kelsey family! Charlotte must think uncle Gordie is a lot like her dad, becasue she just doesn't cuddle with anyone... especially guys! And doesn't my mom look young! I nkow that Charlote looks a lot like her daddy but these pics of her and my mom remind me of pics of me and her when I was a baby!

Charlotte was excited to see her buddy Christian and her Auntie Erin! She missed them dearly!

Birthday Stats

Charlotte finally had her 1 year checkup... which of course I was dreading. Charlotte has had some bad reactions to those darn vaccines. I was of course ignored and treated like an overprotective mommy at first, but eventually after vaccinations in the fall that resulted in almost 103 fever, the nurse acknowledged that she may have an allergy to one of them. They decided that it must be the whooping cough vaccine, so we have eliminated it. But last Thursday she got the other vaccines and unfortunately had another tough time starting at about 2 a.m. Her fever was only 99.2 at 2:30 a.m. so we gave her tylenol, but surprisingly her fever increased over the next 2 hours to almost 102. Poor girl! She was miserable for a few days, but is ok now. So at one year our little girl weighs in at... 17 1/2 pounds (3%) 27 inches (8%)

All tuckered out

Today was Charlotte’s first day at daycare. It was particularly hard for mommy, since yesterday in the church nursery she screamed and cried for “momma” when we tried to leave the room. Matt made me leave her there reassuring me that it was only 1 hour and she would be fine soon. I cried through all of church. This morning I had quite the tummy ache… not my usual, but a real… traditional… tummy ache. It turns out she had a wonderful time and must have had a very busy day playing. She barely made it through dinner…

April 21, 2008

1 Year Old

April 21, 2008 How did the year go by so fast? My little tiny 4 ½ pound baby is walking, talking (well chattering), laughing, and singing! Right now because the walking is still new, she walks with her hands in the air, often above her head. She talks usually the whole way, so it’s not hard to figure out where she is. She loves chasing Lola and giggles when she gets close. I am pretty sure she understands a lot of what we say even though she is not verbalizing it herself. I will often get a shaking hand and head saying , “no, no, no” when I tell her we need to leave grandma’s for instance. But when I mention that we can go home to see Lola, she quickly stops all the no shaking and takes my hand to leave. She also kicks with excitement in her high chair when I ask if she wants cheese or cookies. It is just amazing watching her little brain work. If we say, “Charlotte, where are mommy’s eyes?” she will point to our eyes. The same goes for a few other body parts. She loves singing “Head-Shoulders-Knees-&Toes along with patty-cake and the Itsy-bitsy Spider! She still thoroughly enjoys watching Disney Sing-Along Videos and has started watching Sesame Street now too. At Auntie Erin’s and Great Grandma and Grandpa Kelsey’s she watches the Mickey Mouse clubhouse… oh to see the excitement that opening song brings her! She brings so much joy to our lives in so many ways! From watching her grow and learn… to rubbing her feet and legs and cheeks just the way she likes it! It is truly a miracle that she is here and I can’t imagine life without her!