"My Little Tiniest Blankets"

Getting Charlotte to sleep has ALWAYS been a process.

I'm convinced that whoever made up the expression "sleeping like a baby," never had a baby!! 

Charlotte LOVES having things around her. She'll go to sleep only to wake up a few moments later because she needs Doggy or Piggy. A few days ago she found the fabric swatches from when we were having her crib bedding made and has now added those to her nightly loot. 

Tonight, after putting her to bed, she called for Daddy to go back up there because she needed her "little tiniest blankets"; meaning those swatches (see below in the baggy). After he gave her those, she saw a couple more items that she also needed. 

When she was a newborn, we were told not to add anything extra to her crib......

Well, that's changed a bit now!

  

Metamorphosis

At Charlotte's school, they had the "Butterfly Guy" come visit recently.  He visited last year too, and though I'm sure she thought it was interesting then, we did not participate in the "home" hatching. 

We did, however, participate this year and had so much fun doing it. 

They presented this tiny chrysalis in such beautiful packaging: a tiny clay pot with moss covering the top, decorative sticks for the chrysalis to hang from and a little added touch from the grosgrain ribbon and card with projected birthday of the Monarch hatching.

Here is the chrysalis within a few days from hatching. Note the gold markings on the chrysalis; those are natural from the caterpillar in making her cocoon. (Notice: I say "her" because Charlotte was convinced it was a female butterfly)

 Just a day away from hatching...

 Within an hour of hatching....

Voila! 

She's here!

 I left home to pick Charlotte up from school and we came home to this!

When I asked Charlotte what she wanted to name her butterfly, she answered, "Charlotte the Butterfly". Of course, what other name would she name her. I was pulling for Marty the Monarch, or even Molly the Monarch, but we settled on Charlotte the Butterfly. 

 Here, both Charlottes are, getting to know each other. 

Charlotte was so very proud of her butterfly and was so gentle with her. 

We got a really sweet video of the 2 right after the butterfly's wings were hard enough to hold. 

Here, Charlotte the Butterfly, has been set free in our Japanese Red Maple in the front yard. 

We like to think now that she is well on her way to Mexico for her migration. I ended up telling Charlotte that Charlotte the Butterfly's mom and dad came to pick her up and was taking her to Mexico for the big butterfly party. She seemed to understand that logic but then quickly stated that she was going to get her butterfly wings so that she could go to the party too. 

Got to love how smart and quick she is!!

Justin and I totally enjoyed this process as much as Charlotte did. We're looking forward to more butterfly hatching in our future. 

It's also very appropriate for the presenting of the new blog design. I went back and forth trying to decide what to do and finally found a great company through my cousin that assisted me with the entire process. They were super great to work with and would HIGHLY recommend them to anyone that would like a "redo".

Special Moments

We create a lot of special moments in our little family. Unfortunately, I don't have my camera by my side at all times to capture all of them, but I have captured some really good ones. And I hope Charlotte can look back on this blog one day and know not only that we love her a ton, but that we think she's a really cool kid (or "big girl" as she would preferred to be called).

I took a photography class a month or so ago and though it has helped, it has also caused me to mess up more and added frustration. I love it, but like everything, it takes lots of time and practice. I wish it were easy! I wish that the 3-hour class I took instantly transformed me into a fabulous photographer! I wish that I didn't have to take 101 pics just to get a few good ones.

AND, I wish that my brain would understand it all!

I hope to take another class soon, but for now, I'm trying to stay off "auto" mode and pray I get lucky every now and then with a good shot.

One of Charlotte's favorite pastimes.

We met friends at the park and, as always, had a super time.

We got to go to San Antonio for the KFGCMF 3rd annual golf tournament this year. We stayed with Gram and Pater and had a wonderful time. LOVE this picture of them!

Char and I tagging along with sweet Ainslee and Taylor

our beautiful girl, she's got her daddy's eyes

Last month, Jason stayed with us for a couple nights while the Ranger's were HOT in the playoffs. We had a great time with him! Charlotte had a "to-do" list for him upon his arrival and didn't care that he had tickets to PLAYOFF GAME. She wanted him to: dance, sing, cook, dress-up, color and play hide-and-seek. Thankfully, he scheduled her list around his game and that made her VERY happy. We LOVE uncle Jason!!

Char had been wanting a robe....

She sees her daddy in his every morning and wants to be cozy like him. A couple weekends ago, we went to the mall and found her one at Macy's. She loves it so much that most nights she ask if she can sleep with it on.

I am thankful the weekends when the 3 of us can hang out in the mornings in our cozy robes!

OK.....this is one of the pics that brings frustration! How adorable would this be if it wasn't blurry? UGH! Shutter speeds and f-stops sound simple when you're learning about them, but when you're trying to take a cute picture of an almost 3 year old playing in the rain, with an adorable expression on her face, IT'S HARD!

So, I switched back to auto trying to catch a cute (non-blurry) action pic of her.

{practice.....practice.....practice}

As November begins...

I ponder the blessings God has given us and how we can be more thankful today and each day following.

I often take "everyday" blessings for granted. I never have to worry about being hungry, never worry about being cold, never worry about a low tank of gas, and never worry about making a doctor appointment if we're sick. If I'm hungry, I run to the grocery store or order take-out. If I'm cold, I turn on the heater, or put on a cozy sweater. If my tank is low, a quick run to the station quickly fixes that problem. And, if anyone of us are sick, our wonderful doctor gets us right in. These "everyday" blessings are often overlooked as "necessities". I challenge myself to pause and to be thankful that today we are able to do all of these things and remembering that things could change tomorrow.

I am thankful for the "rainy day blues" because that is time Charlotte and I can play together without interruption.

I am thankful for our beautiful warm home and treasured possessions.

I am VERY excited (and thankful) about our new holiday tradition!

I found this Thanksgiving Tree in the Pottery Barn Kid's catalog and couldn't wait to get it home. Each day of November you write what you're thankful for and place it in the pocket for that day. I am so thrilled to start off the month with this new tradition.

I worried that November often gets over-looked from coming off October's sugar-high, to Christmas shopping and making lists for Santa. This will be our family's way of focusing each day of November on the special and "everyday" blessings God has given to us.

What a Treat

October is such a great month with kids. There are so many things to do! We had something fun every weekend. Below are some of the wonderful memories we created during the last few days of October.

Charlotte's "princess" bounce house

The party started at 5pm, but at 8am, the company was here ready to set up. We quickly threw on some warm clothes and ran outside to play.

We had Snow White practice her trick or treating skills at our house first. She quickly got the hang of it......irresistible! Who wouldn't give this princess candy?

Trunk or Treat

Charlotte's teachers

Wonderful friends

Trick or Treating in the neighborhood.

"Wait for me!!"

It was adorable watching her excitement build from house to house. She had the best time with her friends.