Christmas Cheer

Any of you who have little ones know about that extra magic at Christmas. Last year, Charlotte was 9 months and it was very special, but this year was absolutely fantastic! Such a wonderful time of family gatherings and remembering the true meaning of Christmas and the gift God gave to all of us.

I took a million pictures but figured I wouldn't trouble you with all of them, so here are our favorites (still so many!) packaged in one album. Charlotte received so many wonderful gifts - from toys to art supplies to dvds to clothes...with the pink wooden doll house, pink piano, Elmo Live and her new art easel topping her list of faves. Chris and I were humbled by how blessed we really are! We hope everyone had as merry a Christmas as we did!

Christmas 2008

'Twas the Days Before Christmas

This holiday season was filled with incredible fun! Charlotte soaked in each moment and we really enjoyed getting ready for Christmas this year.

We attended the town tree lighting, had a visit from Santa by firetruck in our neighborhood, enjoyed a family tradition of dinner and the drive-through light display in Columbia, suffered through a visit to mall Santa getting a GREAT picture on his lap, plus the beautiful Christmas Eve service. So much festive fun! Stay tuned for Christmas day pictures soon...

Pre-Christmas 08

Gift of Family

Chris and I were reminded just how precious family is this Christmas. It really is the greatest gift!

Wonder

Merry Almost Christmas!

Play!

Charlotte loves playdates with her pals...no matter that the majority of them are with all boys! We had breakfast with Santa, Colin and Jonathan (oh, and the amazingly entertaining Chic-fil-a cow) one week, then we made crafts with Hakan, Caden, Ryder, Jackson & Christian, that's right, FIVE boys + Charlotte. She sure does a good job keeping up with those wild little men!

Here are some shots of our adventures!

Breakfast with Santa

Playdate at Hakan's

Tree & Trimmings

This year's trip to the tree farm was unusually freezing! Chris and I, of course, love the cold, but with a toddler it becomes more tricky. So the trip was short and sweet and we ended up chopping one of the first ones we saw that ended up NOT being a fraser fir like we usually get (which we realized after we sawed it down). Thankfully it still looks great with all the trimmings.

I will have to add this family shot to our Trees through the Years collection - 5 years and counting!



Charlotte really enjoyed decorating this year. She was very helpful unpacking each ornament with Daddy and handing them to me. I added some pictures to an album below if you want to see Charlotte in action.

Christmas Tree 2008

Hard to believe Christmas will be here in just over a week!

Singing in the Tub

Charlotte loves bath time. Almost as much as she loves to sing! It is RARE for her to let me video her, so I ran to grab the camera while Chris kept her singing in the tub.

As you watch the video below, you'll hear her stop at the end of her ABCs (when she notices me filming her) to ask "I hold it" in order to hold the camera. She loves to look at pictures/video. Also, during Somewhere Over the Rainbow she forgot the words and ends with "That's Elmo's World" - a nice save if you ask me!

Such a treasure, this child!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

C is for Cookie

Christmas cookies that is! (Chris') Aunt Kim, Charlotte and I delightfully spent the first day of December baking sugar cookies at my home. Kim came with the dough prepared and Charlotte did a great job helping with the rest. She rolled, cut and decorated dozens of cookies with Kim's guidance. Charlotte was quite the adorable powdered sugar-covered baker if I say so myself. I think more sprinkles ended up in her tummy than on the cookies. Thank you, Aunt Kim, for the ingredients that helped cook up a special memory!

21 Months

Pretty in purple. And another month closer to TWO!

Farewell, Fall

On this last day of November with all things Christmas around the corner it felt right to share pictures of Chris raking the last of autumn's leaves yesterday with Charlotte. I added a short video, too. And yes, I know, I have been a scrapbooking fanatic these past few posts...I just can't help myself!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Baby Emme

Charlotte absolutely adores her cousin, Emmerson. She is very motherly to her and treats her like a fragile doll. I love to see the two of them together!

Give Thanks

We spent Thanksgiving with family and enjoyed two wonderful meals in the company of those that mean the most to us. As I reflect upon our thankfulness I realize that so much of what mattered to us before fades away the deeper we fall in love with Charlotte. We thank God every day for the fullness of life that we experience as a family with our daughter. I am humbled by all we have been given and how much we take for granted. How could we be more blessed?

Snuggle Muffin

Charlotte has always been cuddly, but these past few weeks she has turned up the snuggle factor. Of course we don't mind one bit! Thanks to Daddy for snapping these fun pictures.

One of the Boys

Charlotte and I have had some fun times these past few weeks with great friends. Beth and Kristen both have husbands who work with Chris (they all coached football together). Their boys Colin and Jonathan are delightful and the perfect playmates for Charlotte when we all get together. Last month we visited Boyds Bear Country in PA and also attended a cute Halloween party at Beth's with a quick stop at school after. Here are some pictures from our wild times together. Once again, Charlotte is one of the boys!

Charlotte, Colin & Jonathan

Charlottesville

We enjoyed a wonderful time away together over the weekend, despite a little illness.

Our weekend started Thursday night with Charlotte getting the infamous stomach bug that had attacked my sister and Ryder earlier in the week. We debated what to do, but seeing that the weekend was non-refundable and that by Friday morning she was feeling much better, we decided to go forward as planned.

After dropping Charlotte off at Mom Mom & Pop Pop's we began our scenic drive to VA. We arrived at the gorgeous Dinsmore House and checked into our lovely room. Chris did a fabulous job picking out the perfect cozy bed & breakfast which was located on Main Street just outside of downtown. Our room was amazing and the inn keepers and their dog, Hannah, were delightful.

Once settled we strolled up the road and ate at a great pizza place called The Mellow Mushroom and enjoyed dining outside in the cool evening watching the bustling college life of UVA.

Unfortunately, after our yummy breakfast Saturday morning, I fell ill with that darned stomach bug! Luckily it was raining all day anyway so we wouldn't have been able to do much sight seeing. Plus, I really got good use of the "bed" part of our accommodations! Chris was kind and tended to my needs and eventually I was able to get up and walk to lunch at a nearby sandwich shop. We had to cancel our dinner reservations at this cute French place for that night, and instead watched movies all evening in our very posh room.

Sunday morning after checkout we debated visiting the historic downtown mall but opted out since my headache persisted. Go figure. So we drove home and headed straight to Pop Pop and Mimi's to be greeted by what would make any sick mom feel better: the sweet hugs and smiling face of a baby girl who was missed so much!

Here are the pictures I was able to grab from the weekend. Though not exactly perfect circumstances, it was a great time to just be away together in a beautiful town alone for the weekend! Hey, they don't write those vows "in sickness and in health" for nothing, huh?

20 Months

Our autumn angel turned 20 months Saturday. She is enjoying mommy's favorite season, too!

Little Treats

Finally some Halloween pictures! The pink poodle has significance because my mom always called me "poodle" as a kid...hey, sometimes she still does! And well, the frilly costume seemed fitting for Charlotte.



We got to trick-or-treat twice this year. Once in PA with Chris' family a few days early and then at our home on Halloween with my family. I have to admit that our kiddos were the cutest treats on the block both nights! Enjoy the pictures.

My pictures from PA:


click here for snapfish album

Kim's pictures from my house:

Halloween Night 2008

Family Portrait

Over Labor Day weekend I had the chance to snap some family portraits at the beach for Chris' family. I finally found time to blog them. In order to get the group shots via auto-timer, I had to create a makeshift tripod out of some wood stacked on a cooler placed on a beach chair. I set each shot and ran to position! Hey, it worked!

Here is one of my favorites from the shoot:



To view the rest click below!

Beach Portraits

Happy Halloween

More pictures to come!

Pumpkin Patch

We had a perfect autumn day on our recent trip to Baugher's. The hayride to the pick-your-own pumpkin patch has become a bit of a tradition for our family. We enjoyed a great morning with the Green family along with Pop Pop and Mimi.

Kim got some gorgeous pictures for us! I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have such a talented sister.





Our three little pumpkins.



Here is how you can usually find me...



And here are the pictures I captured, enjoy!

Pumpkin Patch 2008

Happy 1st Blogiversary!

That's right, it has been one year to the day since our first post. Time sure flies and brings much change! It has been fun to document the happenings of our lives.

Our family now:



Back then:



Onward to year number two of blogging. We hope you'll continue to join our adventures!

Celebrate

We had a great time celebrating our 5th anniversary weekend. Chris was off work last Friday so we went to the pumpkin patch (look for a post on that soon). We were able to catch a movie Friday night and have a fun date night Sunday night, too. Thanks to the grandparents for watching little Miss for us!

We decided to visit Frederick since we were married there. We wanted to dine at Venuti's where we had our rehearsal dinner, but they are closed for relocation so we went to Outback instead. It was a great casual night, and on our way home we "crashed" a wedding at Ceresville. Not literally but I did manage to snap one (albeit awful and therefore not posted) picture in the dark of the pergola where we wed. I can't believe it has already been five years.

Here we are at my parents' after dinner, posing with wedding photos...




Chris really made our anniversary special. He sent me flowers on Saturday (roses in our wedding color with white calla lilies, too - nice work, hubs!). He also gave me a sweet personalized picture frame since the 5th anniversary traditional gift is wood. Such a fun surprise! But our major gift to one another is a weekend stay at The Dinsmore House Bed & Breakfast in Charlottesville, VA. We will enjoy our little getaway in November and needless to say we are both looking forward to some time alone together.



On the drive back home from our date, we looked in the backseat and agreed the best gift from our marriage is our daughter, Charlotte. Her laughter melts us. Cheers to 5 more memorable years and beyond!

Five Years Ago Today

It all began!
I am so glad to be married to my best friend.
To see more pictures from our wedding day click here.


(Kimberly Brooke Photography)

Forever on Film

On Sunday Chris and I will celebrate five years of marriage! We were so blessed to have had the best videographer with an intense level of talent far beyond my wildest dreams to capture our wedding day. Each time I watch his vignette I am taken right back to that perfect October evening. Thank you, Martin!!!

I hope you enjoy this small glimpse into our magical day from five years back!
www.martinandrews.com/films/merson.wmv

Happy Birthday, Mom Mom!

We celebrated last weekend and I loved this fun shot of Mom Mom with her three grandkids. I know she was in her glory with all of them so close!