Last Post of the Year

Happy New Year's Eve! I don't know, somehow it felt fitting to blog one last time in 2007. What a year it has been for us! Charlotte's birth year will be remembered for immense joy, deepened love, and the kind of moments in life that literally steal your breath.

Who knew such big, bright blue eyes could completely level two adults the way they have? That a tiny, crooked smile could illicit flutters in our heart that burn with a longing for her well being and safety? That such small fingers and toes could capture our souls and unite us even closer? Only these things can a parent truly know, and we have been privileged to become familiarly acquainted with such emotions from our tiny, precious wonder, Charlotte Madeline.

2007, thank you! You have marked the beginning of the rest of our lives as a family, growing stronger together as each day passes, truly blessed by God. Here's to many more years such as this!

Revenge of the Bow

Merry (First) Christmas!

Charlotte truly was the best gift this season! We are so blessed to have her in our little family. She just loved her first Christmas. She was all smiles all day. We hope you all had a warm and bright Christmas filled with joy!



Enjoy more photos by clicking below!

Christmas 2007

Visiting Daddy

We stopped by school last week to take some treats to the students. Every Christmas I make chocolate dipped pretzels for the kids. It has become a bit of a tradition. And Charlotte, of course, always loves the attention!

Santa Came to Town!

Every year Santa comes to our neighborhood by fire truck. Charlotte loved the lights and sirens.

Snap Shots

Some favorite fun pics of Co Co (as Caden calls her) from the last few weeks.



Bed head after a nap:



Bunny suit that is almost too small now!

Sparkle!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week, 6 days to go until Christmas Day! May your season sparkle!

All Dolled Up

It was fun to dress a little snappy for a holiday party this past weekend. Charlotte really enjoyed the spectacular Christmas lights that were on display outside in the yard.

My Oldest Friend

Kristen and I have known each other since we were born. She is now an actor, living in NYC with her husband and adorable pooch, Tech, but she happened to be in town shooting a film and was able to come to our home to meet Charlotte for the first time. It was a lovely afternoon filled with giggles and great conversation. We always pick up right where we left off. I hadn't laughed like that in a long time and it made me remember the good times we had shared. I look forward to our next meeting - hopefully we can travel to the city soon for a visit.

Love you, Stone! xoxo Bone

Playdate & Polar Palace

Charlotte has been having such a fun week with Caden & Ryder. She loves to play in Auntie Kim's loaded playroom. We also took the kids to a cute little play gym Wednesday and they had a blast!





At Polar Palace





Oh yes, yes I did...

Nine Months

She is getting so big! Where does the time go? 9 month stats: 18.11 lbs (50th percentile), 29 inches long (90th percentile) and VERY spirited!





Mama, please, no more pictures!

Purrfect Pair

Charlotte enjoying a little fun time with Bella (who doesn't stick around for long)!

Haul out the Holly!

We have finally finished decorating our home for Christmas. Here is my favorite family picture taken via timer on my camera.



Charlotte really enjoyed the tree and she even helped decorate. For more decor pics click below (and yes that is my husband barefoot in shorts in December):

Christmas Decor

Snow Angel

We got a few inches today, and though this was technically not Charlotte's first snow (it snowed on her birthday) it was her first time being outside experiencing some winter wonder.

When I Say Play with Me...

...you say SESAME! I know, I know, no TV before the age of two...but Charlotte loves to listen to Sprout TV when she plays and her absolute favorite show is Play with Me Sesame. She will drop whatever she is doing and just giggle. She especially loves when Prairie Dawn sings and plays the piano.

Dedication

We had a small family gathering for Charlotte and Ryder's dedication this past Sunday. Pete performed the beautiful ceremony and it was such a special time together.



For more pictures from the afternoon click here:

Charlotte and Ryder's Dedication

Big Talker

For a few months now Charlotte has been entertaining us with her vocabulary. She started with "Da Da" around 6 months and "Ma Ma" came around 7.5 months. She would also get excited at the sight of grey fur and say "Bell" or "Lella" for our cat, Bella. She mastered "good girl" at 8 months and that is her current favorite phrase, likely because Daddy always praises her that way. When we decorated the tree last night she was saying "ball" for all the Christmas ornaments. I even think she tried to say "kiss" after I had been calling to Chris down the stairs. Chris will swear he heard her say "fly with dragons" when watching Dragon Tales...I didn't witness that one, but anything is possible!

It has been so fun to listen to all of her babbling and to hear her forming her first words. Not surprisingly, she likes to talk...a lot...and our days are filled with her tiny conversations with toys, sometimes her toes and with everything around her.

Santa Baby

It is December 1st and the holiday season is officially here! I am a sucker for all things festive (and slightly cheesy) during Christmas, so to kick off the season we took a trip to the mall for Charlotte to meet Santa.

We paid our $20 for a package since those places don't offer a single deal. We watched as the two children before us both cried and refused to be seated on Santa's knee. Then they called our name and...Charlotte actually loved him! We got a cute keepsake pic and were paying up when the family behind us asked the vendor if his kids could sit on Santa's lap and have a picture taken with their own camera, aka for FREE. Humbug! Wish we would have known that before buying the package! Oh well. Of course I had my Nikon with me so here is what I captured:





I love the first picture. It looks like she is telling him her Christmas list! The picture that follows the one of us together was Daddy's idea - placing Charlotte in the display to play with snow!