The Crew

Big thanks to my friend Lisa for snapping these precious pictures of our little crew rocking out on New Year's Eve. Do we have some cute kiddos, or what?


Jackson, Christian, Caden, Ryder & Charlotte

22 Months

January 8th marked the 2 month countdown to 2! I'm admittedly in denial about how big our baby girl is getting. In case you didn't know, she has quite a flair for the dramatics (wonder where she gets that from?). We are amazed every day at how bright, kind and beautiful she is turning out to be.

Ham in a Hat

She put my hat on sideways and then proceeded to pose for the camera...my, oh my! And yes, I keep asking where has my baby girl gone and who is this big kid filling her place?

Reason #463

...why we love our 'hood!
It's no secret that we love our neighborhood. We love the community of neighbors all around us who are genuinely fantastic people. We love the quietness of it, with just the right amount of bustle and laughter from the neighborhood children.

Last week we found a new reason to love it even more: the kindness of our neighbors across the street who GAVE us their outgrown wooden swing set for Charlotte. The look on her face when she saw it nestled in our side yard was priceless. Thank you, Rhoten family! We are SO grateful!



We still need to secure it into the ground and add a little TLC. Chris has grand plans to build a roof (to replace the old tent) and make the club house part really chic. How fun to fill the sandbox this spring!

Project {LAUNDRY}

Here we go!
Makeover #1 - Laundry Room Storage

I just have to share that this was the deal of the year. A 42" premium wall cabinet found on Craigslist that I talked down to $30. It replaces awful wire racks laden with clutter and totally makes the laundry experience so much more pleasant. Add some custom hidden shelves to the left of the cabinet (way to go, Chris!) and you have instant streamlined storage. Ahhh.

Click all pictures for a larger view:

BEFORE (an older photo but you get the picture)



DURING (daddy's little helper)



AFTER



The curtains need some hemming/styling and I plan to mount cork board down the side of the unfinished cabinet edge for notes and such. We hope to paint and redo the floors, too...someday! I am totally happy with how it turned out, especially since it is right off our kitchen and VERY visible (which was a problem when it was a mess).

Project {RENEW}

I figured I would start a series of posts in this new year devoted to one of my resolutions - the redecorating/organizing of our home. Naturally, many projects have fallen by the wayside since having Charlotte. We...okay...I am on a mission to change all that and revamp our digs. And luckily my handy man husband is along for the ride and graciously up to the task. I plan to post our progress as we cross things off the list. Stay tuned!

2 0 0 9

Happy New Year from our little monkey!

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