State Fair Kick-off Parade

Today was the opening of The State Fair of Texas 2011!

 Justin's firm had a State Fair kick-off luncheon for the downtown State Fair parade. Of course, he invited his girls because he knows we LOVE parades! The streets downtown were going to be closed, so Charlotte and I decided it would fun to ride the DART train down. We told Charlotte last night about the parade, and she woke up early this morning excited and ready for the fun to begin. 

Sweetly waiting for the train ...  

I asked a man next to us to take our picture and though he tried to get Charlotte to look his way, this was the best he got.

Playing in Daddy's building 

Justin's office provided all the State Fair staples: corndogs, frito pies, cotton candy and fried oreos. Not much on the menu for a non-meat eater, but this one was pleased as punch!

A Military Band started the parade off with a catchy circus tune. 

All following pics are courtesy of Charlotte Rose. 

I was real choosy and limited them down from about 163 to 3. 

She's quite the photographer! 

LIfe Lesson

You know that feeling you get when you've missed church or Sunday school for a few weeks and the day you get things together to go, you think... "The message is probably going to directly affect me" or "God is pushing me there for a reason"? 

Well, that was us this past Sunday. We had missed a couple weeks and then taught Charlotte's Sunday school class, but was in need of a good message that would speak to both of us directly --

 Well, WE GOT IT!!

I don't think that I have ever been this emotional in church. I've heard great messages and have reflected on the meanings, but none have grabbed my heart like this did. This message held in it all that I've thought about for myself and as a mom raising a beautiful child. 

Thank you NOOMA and Rob Bell for a wonderful message!

"Why is it that often when we get what we want, we still feel empty? We work so hard to succeed, but our lives just end up becoming more about us. Can success turn on us? Can we get caught up in a smaller world where our lives are all about the things that we want? Or is there another way to live? Where life is about more than just us. Where we see people in need and we do something about it. Where our world is expanding because we are sharing our success. And maybe in attempting to save someone else from their suffering, we find out that we are actually the ones being saved."  

Below is the trailer that I've attached from youtube. If you'd like to view the whole film ( ~ 30 minutes), you can here for only $1.99. Trust me, it's worth it!

Around Here

Around here we are getting into the swing of our fall schedule. School is a lot of fun this year for Charlotte! She loves going to her 2 schools and making sweet new friends. I love picking her up and hearing all about her day; she is much more detailed this year than last.  On Wednesday after pick-up, she told me her friend Ned called her "sweetie" and she was embarrassed by it ~ Justin and I got the big kick out of that one! 

Here is a 1st of school pic re-do: 

On the "actual" 1st day, we were running behind and didn't get a great picture, so I was glad to get second chance. Maybe next year, I'll plan ahead and have a little photo shoot prior to the 1st day to prevent those 1st day stresses.  

She had "homework" the 1st week of school....

Her class was assigned an "All About Me" project. We (maybe mostly me!) was very excited about it. We went to Micheal's and JoAnn's and loaded up on fun craft supplies.  

Our favorite part, was the mini photo album we made to attach to the hand. It was filled with cute pics of Charlotte, family, friends, and of her hobbies. 

Another project going on...

We recently have been updating Charlotte's room, wanting to make it more "big girl" and less baby'ish. 

I thought that a bulletin board would be a fun addition so she could put pics, art, and all her birthday party invites she's been getting. I found a couple cute examples on Pinterest.com and then picked the one that I thought would be the easiest to make. Once we found the perfect fabric we were ready to begin!

Here's all the supplies that we used. 

One tip for anyone who's interested in doing the same thing:

Krylon Spray Adhesive is REALLY REALLY Adhesive!

I underestimated it's strength and thought that once I laid the fabric down on the sprayed board, I would have time to readjust and straighten the fabric... BUT, that was not so! When I tried to pull the fabric back a little to readjust, the cork lining on the board came up with the fabric. YIKES!

Thankfully, my sweet Charlotte loves it anyways, even though it's a little crooked.  

Our proud BIG GIRL!

She LOVES finding things to pin on her board! It's like Pinterest for toddlers!

The Bottle Shop

We recently found a cool local establishment that is fun for all ages! Not only do they claim to have over 500 different types of beers, but they also keep rootbeer on tap! And serve it in a frosty mug... YUM YUM!

Never a dull moment at our house!

Yesterday afternoon was filled playing beauty shop. 

And we all really enjoy the chalk board door we made in the kitchen!

Here's latest note I found on there...

 I will explain by saying that last year, when I remembered to get our favorite gravy and brine from Williams Sonoma for our Christmas feast, they had been sold out of it for months. And poor Justin was extremely sad not to get a good gravy! Since we smoke our turkey, we don't get the drippings you would from roasting one so it's best to find a good pre-made gravy that is just as good. And, even though I don't eat it,  I'm told that William Sonoma's is the best!

Here's a pic of my trunk yesterday --

Yes, Justin I did get what you asked for and maybe a little more....

(We have a Halloween party coming up and needed to get start on the shopping!)

Tender Hands

The weather has been almost perfect here. We are so overjoyed to have temperatures below 100 that we're trying to be outside as much as possible because I'm afraid it could change at any moment and want to soak it all in. 

My sweet helper and I have been doing some gardening work to prepared our garden for fall planting. While pruning the herbs she found a ladybug! She was so excited and carried it so proudly -- exclaiming that she was now the Ladybug Girl (see book).

I kept reminding her to be careful and not to squish it, but once I stopped talking and started watching, she was doing that exact thing and being so tender with it. 

This made me pause and think.... As parents of toddlers, we often times are too quick to comment or correct their behavior because it's so deeply ingrained in us to guide them.  But if we step back and observe, we will most always find they are already doing exactly as they should.

Charlotte's 1st day of school packet included a brochure from The Stuttering Group. Though most of us already do what is advised on the list, it is a good reminder to all.

                            7 Tips for Talking With Your Child

1. Speak with your child in an unhurried way, pausing frequently. Wait a few seconds after your child finishes speaking before you begin to speak. Your own slow, relaxed speech will be far more effective than any criticism or advice such as "slow down" or "try it again slowly".
2. Reduce the number of questions you ask your child. Instead of asking questions, simply comment on what your child has said. 
3. Use your facial expressions and other body language to convey to your child that you are listening to the content of her message and not to how she's talking. 
4. Set aside a few minutes at a regular time each day when you can give your undivided attention to your child. This quiet, calm time can be a confidence-builder for younger children. 
5. Help all members of the family learn to take turns talking and listening. Children, especially those who stutter, find it much easier to talk when there are few interruptions. 
6. Observe the way you interact with your child. Try to increase those times that give our child the message that you are listening to her and she has plenty of time to talk.
7. Above all, convey that you accept your child as she is.  The most powerful force will be your support of her. 

School

Aahh.... the beginning of a new school year. I find myself always looking forward to September mainly because of excitement I get from shopping for school supplies! There is just something about the abundance of freshly stocked supplies that makes me happy.  And shopping for Fall clothes is pretty fun too!

I had plans to put up some festive school decorations throughout the house, but I guess from either time restraint or laziness, I just ended up putting new pencils in a small vase -- but glad because I really like how simple it was and soon will be moving on to Halloween decor!

Charlotte talked about school starting for weeks before. The summer was lots of fun, but all of us were craving more routine and structure.

First day of Spanish school.

I love that she chose to wear her Mexican dress on the 1st day! 

I searched Pinterest for ideas for teacher gifts, but when I found this idea on a friend's blog I immediately knew that this was what I wanted to do. So cool! 
The free printout is from Eighteen 25.

I bought the container from Micheals and filled it with with supplies from Office Depot and candy.  

Love how it turned out!

First Day of preschool/MDO.

It's hard to believe that this is her 3rd year there.... time moves too fast!
We are very excited about her teachers. They have a great curriculum planned that includes Handwriting Without Tears and because both teachers love science, there are multiple "lab projects" planned. They've even ordered lab coats for each student! Look out Charlotte..... You're in for a huge treat!

We could not have asked for a better start of the year. Charlotte is getting so big and so sweet! She gave each teacher big hugs and then got busy playing.

We love you so much girly!

Reading List

Charlotte wasn't the only one busily reading this summer...

In July, Justin and I got a wild hair to study and learn about American Culture. We decided to do this through art, poetry, literature, philosophy, religion and music. Our list to read is long and by no means was it confined to just summer reading as it will probably take a year to cover all of our topics. 

I once read an article about Texas Tech's previous football coach, Mike Leach, and how he chose one topic to read and learn about each year and after the year was completed he'd move on to a different topic. I have always admired that discipline. 

Unfortunately, this is a late revelation to me. Long ago, when I was in school, I didn't care about learning just for the sake of growth and learning. I studied the material for testing purposes and then quickly forgot and moved on to more interesting things like my social agenda. I get mad at myself now thinking how non-chalant I was and regret not being more disciplined. 

Discipline is the key to it all. 

Thankfully though, I did figure it out. And thankfully I care now. Caring about the world around me, what's in it and what got us to the place we are today. 

Living is Dallas has it's advantages when taking on a topic like this. We have wonderful museums and galleries to visit and seeing art in it's original form and beauty speak to me in a way that words on a page struggle to do.  I relate to art the way someone years ago taught me about wine -- 

"If you like it, it's good. And don't worry about what someone else likes."

For some reason that advice relaxes me and allows me not to get caught up in what I don't know, but appreciate what appeals to me.

I do have a hard time appreciating Abstract Expressionism like color blocking and Pollock's splatter painting. I think of it the way Olivia in one of Charlotte's books says, "I could do that in about five minutes".  But the point is that I didn't do it and they did, right? And in turn furthered American culture. 

I've attached pictures to some of the books that I've read (and am reading) thus far. My favorites are the classics. I got such a joy re-reading To Kill a Mockingbird and Gatsby. We're also reading Walt Witman and Robert Frost poems along with Ernest Hemingway's short stories. 

My book club chose to read The Paris Wife -- though fiction, is based on factual events and followed along nicely to Hemingway's short stories. 

And then there's the detour of all detours!! 

The Hunger Games Trilogy  

-- and no, I'm not above reading "younger reader" books. 

I have to admit that just like the Twilight series, I totally got sucked in and anticipating the movie coming out in March 2012. 

Thankfully, they were all fast reads and now I can get back on track with our American Culture plan and continue to work on my discipline....